Stiles The Teen Wolf
by Ashrel Fury
Summary: What if it hadn't been Scott. What if it'd actually been Stiles who was bitten that night? When the werewolf shoe was on the other foot, Stiles isn't the one supporting anymore, he is the one who needs support, but with Allison Argent capturing Scott's attention, who will support the newly turned werewolf? Sterek Werewolf!Stiles Human!Scott
1. Episode One Wolf Moon

**Teen Wolf Season One  
Episode One: Wolf Moon**

Darkness was a blessing in Stiles' opinion. It allowed for quick and unnoticed movements as he made his subtle way to his best friends house to fill Scotty boy in on the newest, and to be honest most exciting, case Beacon Hills had ever been host to in over four years. Then again, he really wouldn't have to do this sort of thing if the kid would just answer his damn phone.

Climbing up to his friend's window though, turned out to much more difficult than he first anticipated.

"I need to get out more." Stiles mutters to himself. "I never noticed this until now but Scott man, your roof has like, vines and shit _everywhere_." And just as he says this, his foot slips on one of the vines.

The ride down was much faster than the climb up and before Stiles even knew what was going on, he was hanging upside down. _'oh god'_ he moaned in his own head before a scream startled him and his own startled yell was ripped from his throat. He noticed Scott just as the boy calmed and began to speak.

"Stiles what the hell are you doing!" His best friend accused fiercely making Stiles indignant.

"You weren't answering your phone!" He called back and that's when he noticed what was in Scott's hands. "Why do you have a bat?"

Scott only took a second to answer, looking just a little bit embarrassed. "I thought you were a Predator."

Stiles wanted to laugh. He let his arms express his thoughts though. "A Preda- ugh-ts, look. I know it's late but you got to hear this."

_Wow, it's hard to breathe upside down_ Stiles idly thinks as he takes a deep breath before he starts his story. "I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called, their bringing in every officer from the Beacon department and even state police." _I really can't hang here much longer. _

Scott took a heartbeat to look confused. "For what?"

_Oh-kay, I gotta get down._ Stiles reaches up to his ankle where he could feel one, or multiple of the vines digging into him. "Two joggers found a body in the woods." Just as he says this, the vines give and Stiles drops, catching himself in a crouch as he hears Scott ask a question, and he tries to hold in the reflex he has for stupid question, but it just wasn't meant to be.

"A dead body?"

_Good god the boy is adorable_. "No, a body of water!" Stiles rolled his eyes. "Yes dumbass a dead body." He makes to climb over the porch railing and Scott gives him room, not pointing out how hard Stiles is breathing. Instead, getting interested in the story.

"So you mean, like a murder?"

Stiles considers this a safe, not-so-stupid question, so he answers honestly. "Nobody knows yet. They just know it was a girl, probably in her twenties."

Scott's eyebrows raise and Stiles knows exactly where his friend's thoughts are going, right where they needed to go.

"Wait, hold on, if they found the body, what are they looking for?"

_Yes! The right question!_ Stiles doesn't hide his excitement as he answers. "That's the best part." He lets it hang there as he watches Scott's face. "They only found half."

Stiles knew the exact moment Scott realized what he was getting at, and he couldn't help grinning at his friends look of near panic.

"We're going."

And they did.

The location had been mentioned before his dad had left. Beacon Hills Preserve. A patch of woods that was owned by a family a long time ago that's now just the outskirts of their town. His Jeep made it to the back entrance of the Preserve before Scott finally spoke up.

"Are we really doing this?"

Stiles slammed his door shut, his face a wide smile despite his friend's protesting.

"You're the one always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town." He answered, slapping his friend in the arm. Stiles can feel his friend's reluctance even before he heard Scott say something that sounded like an excuse. Something about sleep and practice. Didn't matter. They had a body to find.

Still, the quite was daunting and the dark was only slightly creepy, so Stiles decided conversation was okay for now.

"Right. 'cause sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort."

"No, because I'm playing this year." Scott countered and Stiles wanted to snort but his friend didn't stop there. "In fact, I'm making first line."

Stiles couldn't help it. "Hey, that's the spirit. Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one." Not that he was really one to preach to the choir (Lydia Martin is _not _unrealistic). Ah who was he trying to kid. He knew his chances and they were about as good as Scott making first line.

"Hey, just out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?"

Suddenly, Stiles realized that he had no idea how to answer that at all. "Huh…" He said, mostly to himself. "I didn't even think about that."

"And..ugh.." Scott continued, and Stiles really didn't want to hear the rest of it but he was a little out of breath from walking so fast so he didn't even bother to stop his friend. "What if whoever killed the body is still out here?" He could honestly _hear_ the smug smile on Scott's face.

"Also something I didn't think about." Stiles admitted throwing his head to the side in an admittance of lack of foresight.

"It's comforting to know you've planned this out with your usual attention for detail." Scott called after him as they climbed an unusually steep part of the woods. "Maybe t-the sever asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight huh?"

Stiles hadn't noticed Scott had stopped, he was too busy ducking at the top of the incline. He hit the ground and hid the flashlight's bright rays before attempting to turn it off. He knew what was in the distance, he saw the flashlights and heard the dogs and footsteps, no doubt his father was one of the people searching the woods tonight. He felt Scott duck down beside him, the boy's red hood over his head so Stiles couldn't really see his face but he was sure it was pale. He really should have thought ahead, his friend had trouble just running for a short while, maybe a hike in the woods for a dead body wasn't his smartest plot in the history of their friendship. Still, they needed to move before they were spotted, or worse, before the police found the body first.

"Come on." He said as he rose, rushing forward while keeping an eye on the dots of light not too far away. He was sure Scott would keep up, asthma or not.

He heard Scott yell his name but he wasn't about to stop, they were too close to the cops, but he did look back and the second he did he came face first with a tree.

"Oh god!" Stiles whispered harshly as he held his head, just as Scott's form rushed passed him and straight into the barking jaws of one of the police dogs.

_Oh shit they got Scott._ Stiles panicked, hiding behind the tree as if his life was on the line. The second he heard his father's voice, he was certain it wasn't his life anymore, it was his freedom.

"Hang on, hang on. I know this little delinquent." Sheriff Stillinski said as he looked at Scott who wheezed and panicked, his heart racing.

Stiles stayed hidden, cursing and frustrated ranting in his head about how if Scott was there, they would know Stiles was too, there was no way he could hide forever, scott wouldn't even know if it wasn't for Stiles. Oh god, it was over, he was in trouble.

"Where's your usual partner in crime?" the Sheriff asked and Stiles knew Scott would sell him out. He was surprised when that wasn't exactly what happened.

"What? Stiles? You mean Stiles? No he-he's home. He told me about it the second you left over the phone but he wanted to get a good night's sleep for the first day of school tomorrow. It's just me..in the woods. You know…alone." Scott only stammered once, but Stiles smiled at his friend's attempt to protect him. _Hell yeah bro, I would have done the same for you Scotty boy._

His dad though, didn't sound like he believed him. "Stiles wanted to sleep? What am I, stupid?" then his voice raised. "Stiles! You out there?!"

It was so hard to stay hidden when he dad was calling him, but every part of Stiles clenched in panic and a twisted rush. _Please don't find me, please don't find me._

"Stiles!"

Again, Stiles managed to remain still.

When he heard his dad sigh, he knew the Sheriff had no choice but to believe Scott.

"Alright." The Sheriff said and Stiles heard him come closer to Scott and grab the boy by the jacket. "I'm going to have one of the deputies take you home, your mother is not going to be happy with you. And then, I'm going to call Stiles and have a talk about a little thing called 'invasion of privacy'."

Stiles couldn't hear them anymore as they moved further away.

He had a moment of guilt for dragging Scott into this. Yeah, his mother would be furious and probably ground Scott for a good long while, but still. This was even more of a reason to find what they had come all the way out here for.

Stiles started off in the opposite direction of the police and his father and now Scott. He wouldn't lie to himself, it was getting creepier by the minute, the owls hooting, crickets chirping, silence ringing under all of it, and most of all, the darkness since he refused to turn the flashlight back on.

Still, he kept walking, jumping around over the slightest of sounds.

When the owls and crickets stopped, he didn't notice at first. But when he did notice, he stopped, looking into the misty woods and straining his eyes to see better.

When the first deer rushed at him, he could admit to screaming like a little girl and dropping to the floor in complete and utter fear.

Jesus Christ! This was too much, way way _way_ too much to do alone. With Scott here, he had back up, but alone he was…well…alone. No, he was going home. Screw this. Things were getting way too creepy, way too fast and he wasn't sticking around long enough to become the next victim.

Searching around his pockets for his phone, he cursed manically when he couldn't find it. God damn it!

He turned the flashlight on, figuring he was far enough away from the cops to be seen and started searching the ground for his freaking phone.

He swore to god he wasn't expecting the body, he really wasn't, he didn't even want to find it anymore. But he did find it.

The scream came up like bile, from his stomach, up his throat and right out his mouth. He didn't notice he was walking backwards until he stumbled and fell, rolling down the hill like a snowball.

_Ouch ouch ouch! God damnit, this is the worst idea I ever had!_ Stiles finally stopped at the bottom of the hill and rose, he was sure he bruised something because his body ached all over, but that was fine, it didn't matter. Nothing did, just getting to his freakin car and getting the hell out of the woods.

The growling stopped his short.

_Oh my god I'm going to die…_

When he turned around, the fury black body and glowing red eyes confirmed every thought he's had since Scott was found.

He tried to run, even though his logical brain told him that it would only give the animal reason to chase, but he couldn't help it, the whole night had just, all been too much. Not that he got very far, the beast was on him in seconds and he didn't even registered that he was screaming anymore, he just fought and kicked and flailed. He didn't want to die here, like this. In the woods for the next set of joggers to find.

Something sharp and hot dug into his side and the pain was overwhelming. He finally connected an elbow to whatever had him and it released. When he scrambled up, he took off running. He didn't know which direction and he didn't care, he just had to get the fuck away from the red eyes.

When he broke the tree line and hit concrete, he only had a moment of relief before headlights scared another few years off his life. When the car swerved and avoided him, he dropped to his knees, hands on the wet pavement as the rain soaked into his clothes. Wow, he didn't even know it had started to rain.

_Never again._ He promised himself. _At least, not alone._

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It had taken him a little over an hour to find out where he was and then from there find his car, but even though it took so long, he was still home before his dad. Thank god too because the second he hit his bed, he passed out. Clothed and wet, it didn't matter, the only thing that mattered was the exhaustion.

Stiles regretted it when he woke up though.

His bed was soaked, and it wasn't just water either. There was blood soaking through his shirt.

His mad rush to the bath room fell on deaf ears, and good thing because Stiles had been bit. They were clear teeth marks, something had actually taken a bite out of his side.

It stung and it stunk. Actually, all of Stiles stunk. _Some way to start the school year_.

He stripped and hopped into the shower, being careful with his new wound. He'd need to tell Scott.

Actually, maybe he shouldn't.

Heaven knows what had bitten him. He'd heard a growl and that could mean any number of animals, but his gut was telling him it wasn't any number of animals. It was a wolf.

But that was ridiculous, there are no wolves in California. There haven't been for like 60 years. What was he thinking? It had to be something else, something explainable, plausible. Had to be like, one of the search dogs that got loose or something. _Yeah. A search dog._

His eyes raked the mark as he bandaged it, taping the bandage there before he walked out of the bathroom with his towel around his waist. The second he got into his room, his eyes found his alarm clock and he cursed. Aw man, he was late for school.

Stiles threw on his clothes, clothes he had picked a week in advanced, not that anyone needed to know that, and grabbed his bag and his keys, deciding then and there that he would tell Scott.

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"Come on, let's see it."

Stiles rolled his eyes as he lifted his shirt, showing the slightly bloody bandage to Scott's curious eyes. The second his friend's hand shot out to touch the wound, Stiles pulled back.

"Do you think it was a wolf?"

Stiles refused to admit that it was his first thought as he responded. "A wolf bit me?" He faked an indulgent smile. "No, not a chance."

"How do you know that? You said you heard growling." Scott retorted and Stiles snorted.

"I know because California doesn't have wolves Scott. Not for like, 60 years." He'd looked it up. After all, it had been his own first guess too. _Not that I would ever say it aloud._

"Really?" Scott asked in confusion.

Stiles figured he'd responded too harshly to the notion of a wolf. Still, he was sure. Almost sure. Mostly sure that it hadn't been a wolf. _Had it?_

"Yes really. There are no wolves in California." He stopped at the steps to the school entrance, looking back at Scott as he decided to go on about the next part of his tale. "If you believe in wolves though, you probably won't find it hard to believe that I found the other half of the body."

Scott's eyes went wide and he smiled. "No way. Really?"

_Again with that word._ "Yes really! This is the greatest thing to ever happen to this town since-" over Scott's head he saw the strawberry blond head of his second grade crush and the words rushed out before he could stop them. "Since the birth of Lydia Martin, hey Lydia you look-" The didn't look at him, didn't twitch an eye, raise a brow, quirk a lip, nothing as she passed right by him and Scott and Stiles felt the deflated irritation he always did about the girl. "Like you're going to ignore me."

He wasn't going to lie, that was pretty embarrassing. He turned to Scott with a glare as his friend sort of smirked and smiled at him at the same time, something only Scott was capable of. "You're the cause of this you know." Stiles found himself saying. "Dragging me into your nerd depths." He didn't mean it, and by Scott 'uh-huh' Scott knew he didn't mean it. Which actually just irked him even more. So he continued as they walked.

"I'm a nerd by association. I've been Scarlet-nerded by you."

He was ignored. Again. Of course, everyone ignores Stiles.

The body was the only thing the teachers talked about that morning. Apparently they were told to reassure the students that the police had it all under control, but by the reactions their first period teacher got, no one really cared about the body at all.

Stiles shared a look with Scott when it was brought up though, his small smirk going unnoticed by anyone else but his best friend. Which was just as well since it was only meant for Scott. Then they head about the suspect.

This was news to both of them and it showed on both their faces as the teacher pointed out the semester outlines that had been placed on every desk before they'd walked in. Everyone groaned, Stiles included, but he stopped sharply with a wince when a very loud and very high cell phone ring caught his ears. _Wow, talk about disrespect, we're in the middle of class_.

But as he looked around, no one gave any indication to having heard the ringing. Not unusual, students often ignored other people's ring tones just so that other people would ignore it when theirs rang too, but even the teacher seemed oblivious to it.

Stiles was at a loss and it showed as he looked around, when the sharp ring came again. This time though, it was answered and the voice of a girl filled his ears.

"Mom, three calls on my first day is a little over doing it."

Stiles pinpointed the direction of the voice and looked out the window, the only thing out there was a girl sitting on a bench in front of the school. _No way_.

He strained himself to hear her better, not really knowing why he was straining since he heard her just fine and he was _inside _the school.

"Everything except a pen, oh my god, I didn't actually forget a pen." She sounded disheartened and stiles was thrown for a loop. The girl outside was going through her bag (looking for a pen apparently) and Stiles was silently freaking out inside.

"Okay okay, I got to go. Love ya."

Stiles listened as the girl got off the phone. A school administrator came up to her and apologized for keeping her waiting before directing her into the school. The weirdest part came when she was out of sight. Stiles could still hear her. Her voice and the administrator's voice were clear through the walls and Stiles didn't notice he was following their progress through the wall with his eyes until they were at the door of his class.

The second she came in, Stiles looked at Scott and noticed his friend's attention zero in on the new girl.

She was introduced to them as Allison Argent and suddenly Stiles knew. Like an instinct, he knew his friend was interested in this girl. He could almost smell it, but that was weird, that surely wasn't the right way to describe that.

Quickly he wrote on the loose paper in his binder before balling it up and throwing it at Scott. It hit the back of his friend's head and Scott's attention was taken away from the new girl as he gave Stiles a glare, raising an eyebrow when Stiles pointed to the note on the floor. Scott scooped it up and read it before turning very confused eyes on Stiles.

'Just DO IT!' Stiles mouthed before he noticed the girl's eyes were on him and his exchange with Scott. He turned away and hid his face, non-to-subtly.

"Please do your best to make her feel welcome." The administrator said as he left.

Allison walked forward, her head down and nodding at the people she passed as she made her way to the empty seat behind Scott. Stiles nodded at her too and waited to see if his friend would really do what he had suggested.

He almost beamed when the second she sat down, Scott presented her with his pen.

Her smile was confused, but true and Stiles could almost _feel_ her returned interest in Scott.

He cheered for his home boy in his own head. Pumping his fist in the air at the fact he'd helped that along nicely.

It didn't last long.

First period ended and Allison left, Scott's eyes watching her back like children watched candy. Stiles rolled his eyes and got up too, smacking the back of his friend's head before they walked out together.

"What the hell man." Scott complained as he found his locker. "By the way, what was that? How did you know she needed a pen?"

Stiles shrugged, not sure how to answer but knowing if he did it would be something snarky.

He knew Allison's locker must be just behind him because Scott smiled a bit passed him and Stiles almost rolled his eyes again before the soft and melodious voice of Lydia Martin filled his ears.

"That jacket is absolutely killer, where did you get it?"

"My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco."

"And you, are my new best friend. Oh hey Jackson."

And Stiles tuned out. He did not want to hear the kissing noises that always seemed to follow one of Lydia's 'hey Jackson's. Jackson Whittmore was a tool. Not just any tool, he was the dullest, rustiest tool, in the tool shed of life.

He was forced to tune back in when the voice of one of their friends came from behind him though, asking the question every girl would probably ask at some point during the day.

"Can someone tell me how the new girl is here all of five minutes and she's already hanging out with Lydia's clique?"

Stiles' eyes turned to where Scott had already been looking this entire time, to Lydia, Allison, and Jackson. He felt his stomach turn and his hand ball into fists as he saw Jackson's arm around Lydia, he held it in check even though it was harder than usual.

"Cause she's hot." Stiles answered, his nonchalant attitude almost cracking. "Beautiful people herd together." _Ain't that saying something about the rest of us._

"So," Lydia's voice was in his ears again, and Stiles felt his hands relax. "This weekend, there's a party."

"A party?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun, you should come." The second Stiles heard Jackson, the anger he had a hard time controlling was back as well as a certain aching sting in his gums. Still, he talked to the girl who had once again asked another question. Something about how beauty isn't blah blah blah. He didn't really care but he argued back, it felt normal and he really wanted to feel normal.

Not that he could.

Not that he ever could again.

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Practice was in a few minutes and Stiles was glad for it.

He felt on edge, his skin almost prickly with the need to do something, anything physical.

He'd gathered his stuff in the locker room with Scott and changed before making their way to the field.

"But if you play, I'll have no one to talk to on the bench, you really going to do that to your best friend?" Stiles was enjoying the banter, but he could feel that Scott wasn't. His answer said it all.

"I can't sit out again. My whole life is sitting on the side lines. This season I make first line." Scott's tone was annoyed and Stiles didn't miss the look back to the bleachers where he was sure Allison was sitting with Lydia.

Stiles ignored that as he went to take his place on the bench. He heard Coach tell Scott to be goalie, heard his reasoning and frowned. _Wow, dick move coach._ He heard Allison ask Lydia who Scott was from behind him. Her answer stung, even Stiles and he had to keep himself from turning around to answer Allison himself. He wasn't supposed to be listening, hell he wasn't even supposed to be able to hear them from the distance he was. So he ignored it and focused on his friend's misfortune.

Still, he knew there was nothing much he could do for Scott. God knows Stiles didn't want to take his place. At least, that's what he thought until the first ball hit Scott in the face.

Anger surged in Stiles as the players mocked his friend. The need to protect his buddy was life fire in his vines and before he could help it, he found himself beside Coach, telling the older man he would take Scott's place in the goal.

The Coach took one look at him and laughed out loud.

"Yeah, why not. You're even skinnier than McCall." He ignored his anger once again as he walked to Scott, helping his friend up before telling him to take a seat.

"No Stiles." Scott argued, eyes hard and his grip on Stiles' hand like iron. "I have to do this. I can't sit around anymore. I want this. Please."

He didn't know what Scott was asking for, but by the look on his face, neither did Scott. So Stiles sighed before retreating. His friend needed to do this on his own. Needed to take the hits as they came. He'd known that earlier, so why, why was he so angry all of a sudden. Yeah, Scott was like his brother but this was kind of over doing it, right?_ You're not crushing on Scott now are you?_

He wasn't though. He knew he wasn't. His feelings for Lydia were stronger and more…affectionate than his feelings for Scott, so what was with all the coddling?

Not like he had much to worry about though.

Scott seemed to strengthen during his short talk with Stiles. When Stiles returned to the bench, he could feel Scott's determination and anger. It was so weird, but it reassured him as the next player took his place to try and score.

Stiles was so surprised when Scott caught the ball with only a bit of fumbling. The soft yell of triumph left him before he realized it.

The next one came and Scott caught that one two. Pride filled Stiles suddenly and the yell was louder this time, a call of 'yeah' he was sure his friend heard.

Again, the ball came and Scot caught it. At this point, Stiles was on his feet, pumping his fist in the air. "That's my friend!" He called to anyone who would listen as Scott smiled at him.

He stopped being excited when he heard Allison and Lydia cheer behind him. Jealousy surged inside of him and he was surprised. _What is with the freakin mood swings today! Come on Stiles! Get your shit together._

Jackson pushed with way to the front of the line of guys and stared Scott down. Stiles heard Scott's soft 'oh god' and he felt bad for his friend.

_He can do this. He can so so do this. He's been training all summer. He blocked the first three shots, he can do this. Come on Scotty boy, you can do this._

And he did do it.

Jackson's jump shot was weakened when the Captain jumped wrong, something no one would have noticed but Stiles did. The shot went too far left, it wouldn't have made it in the goal even if Scott let it go. _That would be very embarrassing there Jackson_ Stiles realized with a smile, but Scott didn't let it go.

Scott caught the ball even though he didn't have to. Stiles was sure Scott realized it was a far ball, but it didn't matter. Stiles realized Scott just hadn't wanted Jackson to be embarrassed.

Stiles cheered with everyone else, not even feeling the second surge of jealousy as he heard Lydia's voice yell loud and clear. He was too excited for his friend who smiled at him and the crowd with that grin Stiles knew since they were little boys.

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"So what happened out there?"

Stiles allowed himself to step into the little stream, the water soaking his already wet shoes as he headed for the tree trunk next.

"I don't know I just had this rush of energy." Scott answered. "It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball."

Stiles shook his head. "Not that man, why'd you catch Jackson's. You had to know that wasn't going to make it."

They were silent for a little while before Scott spoke again. "I don't know that either man I just..I guess I didn't want to be the one embarrassing him. Didn't want to play his game. What happened with the pen thing though, you've been acting weird all day too Stiles."

Stiles shook his head, not wanting to give voice to his thoughts.

Everything weird started last night with the body, but Stiles only started feeling weird in the morning. After the bite.

"You don't think werewolves exist do you?" He asked Scott with only a bit of concern. Scott must have picked up on the concern.

"What do you mean? Are you worried about the bite? Didn't you say there aren't any wolves in California?" Scott's voice was weird and Stiles couldn't understand why, but he didn't try as he searched for something to say to defend himself.

"It's not like that man. All this hearing things, smelling thing, it's not normal. Who knows, maybe there are such things as werewolves and now I'm one of them."

Scott snorted and Stiles felt himself bristle, literally bristle.

"If you really are a werewolf man, don't even think about coming over this weekend. Friday's a full moon."

The laugh was clear in Scott's voice and Stiles shook his head before making them stop.

"This is it." Stiles announced.

"What?" Scott asked, obviously confused. There was no body, no blood, no nothing and Stiles could understand his confusion, even if he wasn't feeling the same.

"Someone moved the body." He said it with more certainty than he really should have had, but he was certain. He smelled it here, the scent of blood and…and he didn't know. "Maybe the killer."

"Really?" Scott's form crouched down to the area the body had been last night. "If he did I hope he left your phone because those things are like $100 bucks and you told me I could have it when you got a new one."

Suddenly Stiles stiffed. He felt the presence of another, felt the air shift and a scent rise up. He looked up only to spot a man clad in leather standing a ways away from them.

Stiles quickly slapped at Scott's shoulder, getting his friend to rise and face the danger with him.

"What are you doing here?" The voice was deep, the face one Stiles recognized but he didn't really understand why. "This is private property."

And just like that Stiles knew where he'd seen the man before. Derek Hale.

"Sorry, we didn't know." He said lamely, every muscle in his body drawn up tight as if ready for a fight.

"We were just looking for something." Scott answered. "But forget it."

The man pulled something out of his pocket and threw it in Scott's direction. Stiles didn't notice his hand shoot out to catch it until it was already clenched in his palm. Green eyes turned to Stiles and the shiver that raked his body was unstoppable.

It was his phone.

Before Stiles could say anything, the man turned and walked away.

"Who the hell was that?" Scott breathed as he did a full body shake, almost as if trying to shake off all of the creepy. Stiles actually wanted to do one too, but he was too caught up.

"Dude, that was Derek Hale. You remember right, he's only like a few years older than us."

Scott gave Stiles a weird look before shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter man, I gotta get to work. You got your phone back."

"Dude!" Stiles stopped him. "It's the guy whose family burned to death in a fire like ten years ago."

"Well, what's he don't back?"

Stiles frowned at the question and decided he'd figure that out himself.

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He had, in fact, found out something, but it wasn't what he had expecting.

Animal hairs were found on the lower half of the boy found in the woods. Not just any animal though, wolf hairs.

_Oh god I'm a werewolf._

And that was when the research started. Anything and everything he could find online and in books, google, Wikipedia, discovery network, myths and legends sites, he read through any information he could find and by the end of it all, he was more sure than he'd ever been.

_I'm a werewolf. _He needed to talk to Scott.

The knock on his door made his jump, his systems on overload with information and questions and fears. When he opened the door to find Scott standing there a smile on his face, he sighed in relief.

"Come on, get in, I have to show you show something. I've been up all night, reading. Websites, books, all of this." He pointed to the papers he had printed scattered around his floor.

"How much Adderall have you had today?" Scott asked with a smile and that threw Stiles for a loop. He'd completely forgot about his Adderall.

"Actually, I didn't really have any." Scott shot him a worried look but Stiles shook his head, pushing the questions away. "It doesn't matter, just listen-"

"oh is this about the body? Did they find out who did it?"

Stiles felt the conversation get off the real topic but he couldn't help it, he had a bit of information on that subject too. "No, they're still questioning people, even Derek Hale."

"Oh that guy in the woods that we saw the other day."

"Yeah, but that's not it okay, listen." Stiles thought about a good way of breaking it down but he didn't really have one. He needed to tell Scott, needed to see if his best friend agreed with his theory. "You remember the joke, from the other day? Yeah, not a joke anymore."

Scott's confused look had Stiles exasperated. "The wolf! The bite in the woods! I started doing all this reading. Do you even know why a wolf howls?" He stood up as he asked, his body's natural jumpiness kicked up a notch in fear that his best friend wouldn't believe him, wouldn't accept him because of what he'd become, but that's stupid. This was Scott.

"Should I?" Scott asked. God he looked so confused and Stiles didn't know how to make it sink in.

"It's a signal. Okay? When a wolf's alone it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack. Maybe the howling I heard that night was a signal too, maybe there are more of them or-"

"Wait." Scott called, breaking Stiles' thought process, "You didn't tell me you heard a howl."

Stiles scowled and waved his hand, dismissing the question. "That doesn't matter, but maybe there could have been other, maybe like a whole pack of them!"

"A whole pack of wolves?" Scott was getting the seriousness now, he looked scared, not as scared as Stiles felt, but you know, pretty scared.

"No." He said, only to look desperately at Scott, urging the other boy to believe his words. "Werewolves."

For a second he thought he got through to his friend, but then Scott stood.

"Are you seriously wasting my time with this? You know I'm picking up Allison in an hour."

And Stiles felt his stomach sink. _Its Friday…it's a full moon._

"Look Stiles, we'll talk tomorrow-"

Stiles felt his insides clentch. "Tomorrow?! Scott don't you get it? The full moon is tonight I need you to-"

"What are you trying to do?!" Scott yelled back. "I just made first line, I finally have a date with a girl I can't believe wants to go out with me everything in my life is finally going good, why are you trying to ruin it?"

Stiles dropped into his computer chair and sighed. He couldn't ask for Scott's help. Couldn't rely on him. Stiles suddenly realized that and it deflated everything he'd felt all night. He had needed Scott to understand, needed Scott's help. The full moon doesn't just cause the physical change, Stiles will be faced with blood lust at its peak, and he's going to have to do it alone.

"Yeah man. Yeah…" Stiles said lamely, not looking at Scott. "Sorry, I guess I'm just paranoid or something."

Scott wasn't fooled though, he caught onto the fact something was wrong, but all he said was "I'm sorry. I got to go get ready for that…party."

Stiles stayed still and silent as Scott left, his desperation slowly being replaced by anger. He needed Scott to leave, needed to calm down before he changed or something. Anything that raised his pulse would cause a change, that couldn't happen. He needed control, he was all alone in this.

"So you know what you are."

Stiles jumped, his hands flying up and a growl leaving his throat before he even realized it.

Derek Hale stood in the middle of his room, facing him calmly with his hands in his pockets.

"It's you!" Stiles growled, lunging forward in a burst of power he'd never felt before. His gums stung again but now he knew what it was, his teeth were growing, his fangs coming out as part of the change. "It was you!"

Derek caught him easily, spinning with his momentum to drop Stiles hard on his bed, holding Stiles there with all his weight.

"No it wasn't." The older man said, still just as calm as he had been when he came in.

"Why am I supposed to believe you?! You're a werewolf too aren't you? I bet your whole family was! That's why-"

Blue eyes flashed and Stiles was momentarily stunted as claws sank into his chest and he was slammed hard on the floor by the bed, Derek again on top of him. Suddenly Derek had fangs too, his face covered in hair _or is it fur?_

"Don't." Derek growled right into his face. "Bring my family into this."

Stiles didn't struggle and that surprised him. He didn't feel the need to struggle, even though another werewolf was threatening him. Wasn't the full moon supposed to be the peak of bloodlust?

"I'm trying to help."

Derek's voice was softer now, not the growl it had once been, and that's when Stiles noticed the nails that had dug into his chest were gone and the wounds inflicted were already healing. Just like the bite had.

"Why?" Stiles managed behind his mouth full of teeth.

Sadness passed by Derek's face right before Stiles' eyes, but it was gone in seconds, anger taking its place.

"Whoever turned you, killed my sister."

Stiles was thrown, but quickly the pieces all fell into place in his mind. He was smart after all, smarter than a lot a people gave him credit for. "The body in the woods. That was your sister?"

A stiff nod was his own response as Derek stood, escaping to the other side of the room away from Stiles.

Stiles didn't get up right away. Instead he allowed his heart to calm from the surge of anger it had pumped through. This was all making more sense now.

"So you weren't the one that bit me?" He asked, just to make sure.

He could feel Derek's anger like a whip crackling the air between them so he added hastily "Just making sure."

"Yeah, well make sure you understand something. I'm here to help."

For some reason, Stiles believed him. Oddly enough, and as much of a creeper Derek was, there was something about him that made Stiles think he was telling the truth.

"You want any more proof, listen to my heart beat. When people lie, their heart speeds up."

Stiles gave Derek an odd look from the floor, whether or not Derek was able to see him or he was able to see Derek didn't matter, the look was universally translated.

"Seriously? That stuff works? How can I hear your heart?"

"You concentrate. Tune out the useless, everyday sounds and pick out the ones that matter."

Derek was speaking softly now, instructing Stiles on what to do, and Stiles found himself actually tried.

He closed his eyes and listened.

Dogs barking, people yelling, water running, he could hear his neighborhood perfectly, but that was background noise, not what he wanted. It was harder than he expected to sort out the sounds, but when he heard multiple steady thumps in back of everything, he focused on them.

"There are a lot of heartbeats." He murmured to himself, but Derek caught it apparently.

"There always will be, you have to distinguish them per person. Every heartbeat is slight different so look for something to distinguish mine from anyone else's."

Stiles frowned and furrowed his brows but he understood. Every heart has a different speed, beats at a different strength, some even skip certain beats, all of that information is researchable and Stiles had already done that research back when he was having sever panic attacks. So he knew what Derek was talking about.

Soon enough, he did find it.

Derek's heart was strong, but it had one stutter at every third beat. As Stiles focused on each single beat, he realized how calming it was.

All day his skin had crawled, his insides had twisted, and his heart had pounded. All day he'd been scared about when the moon rose, about what he would be capable of, about what he would actually do. He didn't want to kill anyone, didn't want to turn into some strange and horrible beast.

But laying on his back on the floor, listening to the normal, human heartbeat of another werewolf just like him, Stiles finally felt himself calm.

"How do you keep from losing control? From killing people?"

He didn't know what prompted him to ask, maybe it was what Derek had said before, about being there to help. Scott had left him on his own without even giving him the benefit of the doubt. He'd chosen Allison, a girl he had really just met, over Stiles' need for a friend, a touch stone. So what would it matter if he took help from Derek. After all, the older man was actually offering it.

It took Derek a while to answer, and Stiles would have wondered if the other werewolf was still there had it not been for his steady heartbeat.

"Other wolves call it and 'anchor'. It's something to help you keep your humanity. A memory, an emotion, a person, there are as many different anchors as there are werewolves." Derek explained calmly, his voice lowering with every word.

"What's your anchor?"

There was a double stutter in the steady heartbeat and Stiles frowned, he was about to take the question back when Derek spoke.

"Anger."

Stiles pushed himself off the floor and gave the older man a weird look. "Dude, are you serious? Anger is the thing that keeps you linked to your humanity?"

Derek frowned at him, keeping his mouth firmly shut as Stiles stared.

"I have my reason. This isn't about me though, this is about you. You have to find your anchor, before the full moon rises in two hours." Derek stepped around Stiles' form that still sat on the floor by his bed, and made his way towards the window that Stiles finally noticed was wide open.

"Wait! Hang on! So you're just going to leave? You're not gonna stay and make sure I'm not going to like, eat someone or something?" He stood up completely and reached for Derek's shoulder, but Derek easily evaded him, turning to pin Stiles with sharp mist green eyes.

"I gave you the information you can't find on Google. There's nothing else I can do. Are you forgetting the fact that there is a rabid Alpha out there turning people at the slightest provocation?"

Stiles knew the jab was directed at him, but he couldn't help it. He just…didn't want to go through the change alone.

"I know, I know but maybe I can…I don't know, help you? Just…get me through this full moon. Help me keep control and I'll help you alright? We'll find the Alpha and keep him from turning anyone else." He didn't know why he insisted, didn't even know why he'd offered his own help, but he knew he didn't want to risk losing control.

Derek's hard eyes seemed to soften but Stiles figured he was just seeing things.

"Alright." Derek agreed.

And Stiles was finally able to breathe. He wouldn't be alone.

* * *

**A/N: I would very much love to have someone Beta read this story. I want to spend the least amount of time possible on past chapters and more time on the future ones, so if anyone wants to volunteer themselves or a friend, message me or hit up on a review and I'll message you. Anyways, I would really love to have someone proof read for me, I have barely enough time to focus on actually writing as it is :) Thank you in advance if you decide to volunteer and Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing, knowing what you guys think make this story worth continuing. **


	2. Episode Two Second Chance at First Line

**Stiles The Teen Wolf  
Episode Two: Second Chance at Front Line**

Hunters. Derek waited until they were out in the woods in the middle of the night, fangs, claws, and fur, to talk about hunters.

"Derek! That;s information I could have used like hours ago!" Stiles hissed as his feet took him further into the woods. He'd found his anchor, and he didn't like it at all.

"Stiles, pain is one of the basic anchors for every wolf. It's not your anchor specifically, so stop whining and run, they aren't going to stop chasing us."

Stiles wanted to turn around and snarl at Derek he really did, but Derek was doing him a favor. He had to remind himself of that fifteen different times that night, one of which was when one of the hunters shot a goddamn arrow through his forearm. An arrow! Like that kind of thing is still cool or something. It was lucky Derek had been there. _Actually, screw that, Derek was the one who dragged me out of my house for a leisurely moonlight run!_ But that had been to protect his father, should the man come home during the night.

So Derek had dragged Stiles out during the light, walking together, side by side down the street. He'd left his dad a note and he was still too pissed off at Scott to message the boy about where he was going, so if his trust in Derek was misplaced, he'd soon be dead. Didn't matter now, not really, since Derek wasn't the one who tried to kill him tonight.

"Who the hell was that?!" Stiles panted, hands on his knees as he stood on the burnt and broken front porch of the burnt up old Hale house. Apparently this was the place Derek was staying. _Seriously, the guys creepy meter goes up with every new piece of information. I may have made a bad decision here somewhere folks. _

"Chris Argent." Derek growled in anger and something Stiles didn't really recognize. He needed to become an expert at decoding Derek Hale otherwise this relationship was going to be a downhill spiral.

_Wait, did he say Argent?_ Stiles physically felt his guts sink into the soles of his feet. His head spun and before he even realized it he was tipping forward. The strong arm around his chest stopped his fall and he was soon pulled up, his back against a warm chest.

"Are you okay?" There was concern there, something Stiles really wasn't sure Derek was capable of until now, but that was okay. He leaned on the arm around his chest as he mind raced.

_Chris _Argent?_ Related to Allison_ Argent_, probably her dad by the looks of him. Oh god, I set my best friend up with a girl who hunts werewolves. Oh my god, I set my best friend up with a girl who is going to be going after ME! _

"Oh man, I need to sit down." He didn't even bother pushing Derek's arm away, he just dropped right there at the bigger man's feet butt first on the rotten wood. "I'm gonna be sick."

He could feel Derek's frown at the back of his neck but the humor in that only registered subconsciously, his conscious mind however was in turmoil.

"Stiles?" Derek's voice was tight, but he didn't bother answer. He needed to sort out his mind, needed to think. "Is it really so bad Stiles?"

And just like that, the thoughts flew out of his head. He turned his torso, looking up into Derek's face. "What?"

"That you can see better, hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope?" Stiles was just a little confused, but it didn't matter, Derek went on. "You've been given something that most people would kill for. The bite is a gift."

"Whoa! Dude, calm down, I wasn't like, it wasn't about-" Derek's eyes felt like lava rolling down his face as the man stepped away, turning his back on Stiles. "Wait! Wait okay, it's not about the bite. It's actually kind of cool, awesome really. I mean…I'm a werewolf. Dude, I'm a freakin' werewolf, I get that kinda accepted that a while ago. It wasn't that man, I promise." Stiles was trying to say anything and everything to get Derek to turn around, to not go running off and leaving Stiles there alone on the porch or a decapitated house. Somewhere along the lines he must have said something right because Derek did turn around, a smirk on his face.

"I think you're the first turned person I ever met who called the bite 'awsome'." Derek said with a shake of his head.

Stiles laughed out loud at the way Derek sounded saying the word.

Derek walked to the porch stairs, sitting on the top one and rolling his eyes at Stiles. "I'm serious though. It's not all bad. Once you have control. And you're going to need me to help you get control. You and me…we're brothers."

Something about that sentence, that last part in particular, rubbed Stiles the wrong way. He didn't really like it but he didn't really know why. He'd called Scott a brother multiple times. So instead of voicing his irritation, he opted for questioning.

"Do you have any?"

Derek looked back at him in confusion and Stiles scooted forward until he was seated next to Derek on the top of the stairs. "Brothers I mean. Did you any like, real brothers."

Derek's eyes hardened, his body stiffed and Stiles felt it through the few inches that separated their sides. He felt Derek shut down and Stiles yelled at himself for being so stupid. They were sitting on the porch of the man's burned down childhood home, how freakin stupid was that question.

"Just one. I had a lot of cousins though, two sisters." The answer was clipped and the tone was begging Stiles not to ask any more questions. _Begging with a very sharp knife and the thread of death. Okay, personal question are a no no._

"I always wondered what it was like." He said quickly, turning the topic away from Derek and onto himself. "To have siblings, you know? I mean, I've known Scott for years and we're close but-" He didn't finish. Not that he had to finish. This situation was enough of an answer really. Scott wasn't here, Scott hadn't even believed him. Scott wanted a date with an actual girl over helping Stiles. "I always figured siblings, real ones, are the ones who never let you down. You know, at least when things are serious. They're always there to have your back."

He knew his tone was lowering, his sadness almost a palpable thing but he couldn't help it. It was lonely at home. Just him and his dad, not that he didn't love his father but…he had wanted a sibling.

"You know wolves have packs." Derek said and Stiles couldn't distinguish the weird tone of voice.

"Yeah. And?" Stiles prompted, wanting to know where this was going. Derek's face showed exactly how slow he thought Stiles was, but the younger teen just shrugged his shoulders repeatedly and fast, flailing his hands to get Derek to go on.

"Packs are a wolf's only family. When you are in a pack, you have a place, a purpose in it that only you are able to fill. Parents, litter mates, none of it matters because the connection to pack is stronger than anything humans feel for their 'families'."

Stiles sort of understands where Derek is going with the speech, and he can't help but feel the warmth spread across his chest and stomach.

"So, what are you saying? That we are like, pack or something?" He was smiling, his tone belligerent, joking around with hope. When he got Derek to smile, he felt pride.

"You need me to learn control. I need you to help stop the Alpha. We might not be pack, but we're something." Derek answered and that was okay for Stiles. For now he didn't even miss Scott, though thinking about his friend made the sting of betrayal rise all over again.

"Come on." Derek rose from his seat, slapping a hand on Stiles' shoulder, the touch sending a jolt of _something_ through his arm. "We got about two hours of moonlight left and you seem okay for now. Let's take you home before your dad starts to worry. Don't worry Stiles, we'll figure it out."

The walk back to the house was much more peaceful than the walk out to the woods.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

The Argent bombshell didn't hit him again until Monday morning.

He'd ignored all of Scott's attempts for contact, opting instead to familiarize himself with his senses.

Stiles realized over the weekend that he didn't need his Adderall anymore. He still had bouts of hyper activity, but those were emotional more than mental. He found ways to keep himself calm, one of them was listening for heartbeats. It was reassuring for some reason, but it was always other people's, never his own.

When no one was in the house - which was often with the other half of the body still not found, though Stiles was pretty sure Derek was the one who took it. It'd been his sister after all. - he would instead work on his sight and smell.

He knew every house-hold secret in his neighborhood by the end of the weekend and he felt he had a pretty good handle on controlling his wolf-atude. That's why when he saw Scott on Monday morning in front of his school parking lot waiting for him, he didn't instantly rip his best friend's throat out for betraying him last Friday night.

"Dude, hey. You didn't answer my calls all weekend." Scott said as Stiles climbed out of his car, his backpack over one shoulder and his eyes on everything but his best friend.

"Yeah, was a little busy." He answered testily. Scott wasn't giving up though, he followed after Stiles.

"So hey, maybe we should talk about that werewolf thing. Did you find out anymore? Did you change during the full moon or what?" Stiles could hear the laugh in Scott's voice as he asked. He knew Scott wasn't mocking him or anything, Scott was trying to joke about it as a way to break the ice, a way to get Stiles to say something sarcastic so they could go back to their usual banter and move on from the friendship stump they've tripped over. But even knowing all of that, Stiles was angry.

"You would know if you'd believed in me and helped me out!" Stiles growled as he turned on Scott. He knew his teeth were now fangs and some part of him was satisfied when Scott gasped and backed away from him with wide, frightened eyes.

"Holy shit dude!" Scott yelled, getting the attention of passer-byers. Stiles gained control over his teeth before turning on his heal and walking away.

It took a little longer this time, but Scott still followed behind him, his voice kept low this time so others wouldn't hear.

"So you were serious? You weren't kidding, you're a freakin werewolf?"

Stiles rolled his eyes at his dense friend. "No Scott, I'm the god damn tooth fairy, can't you see my wings? Yeah man. I'm a werewolf."

Scott was smiling when he got in front of Stiles and blocked his path. "Dude that's kind of awesome."

Stiles tried, he really did, but he couldn't hold out for long. Soon enough he was smiling too.

"So like, what can you do? Are you faster now? Can you see in black and white? Do you have claws? I saw your teeth but do you go hairy and stuff all over?" Scott asked question after question and Stiles pushed it all away, right up until he saw Allison Argent waiting by Scott's locker.

He froze, his whole body tense as he remembered the man who'd shot him in the arm with a crossbow.

"Stiles?" He only heard Scott's voice distantly as he saw Allison spot him and Scott and make her way to them.

"Hey Scott." She smiled before turning to Stiles. "You're Stiles right? Scott told me you're his best friend."

He nodded his head mutely, trying to organize his brain and work out everything before he acted on reflex and ripped her to shreds. He was a threat on him and Derek. _Not THE threat though Stiles. Stay calm. She's related to the threat. We don't even know if she knows about her father, she could be just a normal girl completely oblivious to her family secrets._

"Anyways." She turned to Scott with a smile. "I have to go meet Lydia before class. See you there?"

Scott answered with something Stiles didn't really pay attention too and soon the threat was gone and Stiles body finally relaxed.

As soon as she was out of earshot though, Scott rounded on him.

"Dude, what the hell was that! You were staring at her like you wanted to eat her. You know I called dibs right? And what about Lydia, did you have a crush on her since like-"

Stiles pushed at Scott's chest, a little harder than necessary but not enough to push the boy away.

"Man, I think we need to talk."

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Lacrosse practice came fast and Stiles was slightly nervous.

He had taught himself ways to control his change, keep his heart rate in check, but never in a high-stress situation. He wasn't sure he could keep control. Not the mention what the whole Friday night talk to Scott had done to his heart. He was on edge and he knew it, one small incident could send him over the edge. Still, he wasn't going to quit Lacrosse. Not yet.

But soon he realized that had been a bad move.

Everything started off fine, Jackson was on Defense today with players lined up to get passed him. Scott got laid out and that's when the bad started.

Coach man Scott go twice, the first was brutal. Stiles could feel his claws coming out as he gripped his stick almost to the point of snapping it. It was hard watching someone hurt his friend, his 'pack' Stiles realized. He knew what Derek meant now. The need to have his brother's back was over whelming. So when Scott got past Jackson on his second try, Stiles was relieved, right up until Jackson slammed into Scott from behind _after_ Scott had made the goal.

Rage was a dangerous thing and when it was Stiles' turn, it took over.

"Stilinski! You're up! Go go go!" He could hear the coach in the distance, but his focus was on Jackson who didn't seem to care about Stiles one way or another, just about blocking.

And that was his mistake.

Stiles came at him like a bulldozer, he dropped Jackson to the ground, hearing something in the other boy's shoulder crack, but he was overwhelmed by the sense of the attack. He had taken down prey, had protected his pack, his instincts were screaming.

Suddenly Scott was by his side.

"Stiles! Stiles what's wrong. Come on man get up."

"Scott, it's happening, I can't control it, I can't-" He stopped, his senses picking up on something misplaced, something familiar.

"Come on man, we'll get you inside. Come on!"

Scott rushed with him into the school's locker room, but not before Stiles caught a glimpse of Derek.

_Oh thank god. Derek._

Once he was inside though, he was lost.

He pushed Scott away, trying to get the boy to leave, to run so he wouldn't hurt him, but it was too late. Instinct took over and as Scott stumbled back, Stiles prepared to strike.

Again there was the arm around his chest and the warm hard presence at his back. Neither was welcomed at the time and Stiles tried to rip away, but Derek held strong, his claws sinking into Stiles' upper arm, the pain bringing the younger boy back to himself.

"What are you doing! Stop!" Scott was yelling, rushing forward only to be pushed back by Derek.

"Don't get any closer!" He called as his grip on Stiles strengthened.

"D-Derek." Stiles groaned, his body giving out only to be grabbed before he hit the ground. This was becoming a familiar scene.

"You idiot! You knew you wouldn't be able to keep control, why did you still go out there." Derek scolded, setting Stiles down on one of the benches as Scott looked on, a very confused scowl on his face.

"I was doing fine until Jackson-" He tried to argue but as his heart pounded at the argument, he felt his teeth come down again.

"You're eyes are flashing you idiot, get yourself under control." Derek called, clipping the side of Stiles head. Stiles growled for a moment before taking a deep breath and focusing his hearing.

He found Derek's heartbeat with ease, the melody already slightly familiar. The other heartbeat though, Scott's he realized, was frantic, scared, stuttering and thrashing in the boy's ribcage. Stiles suddenly noticed Scott was having trouble breathing.

"Oh shit!" He bolted up and rushed for Scott's locker. The inhaler was there when he looked and he brought it to Scott in seconds, putting it up to the boy's face as Scott wheezed. "I'm sorry man, come on, take a breath."

Scott did as he was told and soon enough his breathing was under control but not his heart.

"What the hell Stiles!" Scott yelled and Stiles actually flinched back at the high pitch his friend shouldn't be able to reach.

A hand landed on his shoulder before it was gone and so was Derek's presence.

"That's the part of the story I didn't tell you." Stiles admitted before jumping into the tale before Scott could say anything.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

"You need to stay away from Lacrosse."

Stiles didn't even have the energy to be surprised as Derek's voice assaulted him the second he stepped into his bedroom.

His dad was downstairs pouring over files and Stiles was drained. He really didn't want to argue with Derek.

"Yeah, I know."

"Then what were you doing out there?" Derek asked with irritation as Stiles fell face first into his bed.

"I don't know Derek." Stiles answered with a bit more snark. "I just- I was practicing. It was easy to control when there wasn't a reason to need it. I figured I could, I don't know, keep my cool."

"Yeah, I saw how well you kept your cool. You shifted Stiles, right there in front of everyone. If they find out what you are, it's not only going to be the hunters after us, it's going to be everyone."

"They didn't see anything Derek." Stiles argued, sitting up and turned to face the man. "And they won't see anything. I won't play. I can't say I'll quit the team, but I won't play until I learn more control."

This seemed to placate Derek enough for the older wolf to sit down too.

"Seriously Stiles." Derek sighed, his head in his hands. "I thought you were smarter than that."

The jab sent a bolt of anger through Stiles body but he managed to keep it down with a deep breath.

"You're eyes change too you know."

"What?" The comment was so random Stiles was taken aback as he looked up to find Derek staring straight at him.

"You're eyes. It's not just your claws and fangs and the hair. Your eyes shift too." Derek demonstrated, the flash of sky blue send a shiver through Stiles that he just couldn't explain.

"Really? Are mine the same kind of electric blue?"

Derek shook his head, his face taking on the sadness Stiles was getting used to seeing. "No. They're yellow, almost gold. That's the normal color for werewolves, for Omegas and Betas anyways."

Suddenly, Stiles remembered the question he'd wanted to ask but got distracted from before.

"Oh that right! Can you explain pack dynamics to me?"

Derek's eyebrow raise was also starting to become a familiar sight and it made Stiles smile.

"Why do you want to know?"

Stiles shrugged before opening his mouth to answer. He hadn't thought about it, but as the words came out, he realized they were true. "I just figured it was something I'd need to know. I don't want to be a lone wolf all my life, I like the thought of a pack, a family."

"Omega." Derek interjected, confusing Stiles.

"What?"

"Lone wolves. They are the Omegas. Those that wander without a pack." Derek tilted his head. "Although the eye color doesn't always correspond, it changes depending on what you are."

Stiles nodded, following along. "Alright, I'm game. So what are you, what does blue mean?"

Again with the sad look, Stiles was really beginning to question Derek's strength of character, until the man spoke up again. "A killer. That's what blue means. It means that an innocent person died at the hands of the wolf with blue eyes. A lot of the time, packs hunt animals in the woods, but if someone wonders too far into the forest, its hard to hold back our nature and a hunt turns into murder. Everyone goes through the first hunt though, its like pack initiation."

"So you had to kill someone?" Stiles felt mortified. He'd thought the color of Derek's eyes were amazing, almost breathtaking, but if what they meant was so bad, he wasn't sure how to feel anymore. To kill and innocent person, he didn't even think Derek was capable of such a thing if he were being honest...now he wasn't sure.

"Not just anyone, an innocent human. She...was bitten Stiles. She was suffering, she asked me to..take away the pain." Derek explained quickly, though his eyes wouldn't meet Stiles'.

Still, the young werewolf calmed at the explanation. _Okay, that's really freakin' terrible, but way better than becoming a cold blooded murderer._

"So what do red eyes mean? The werewolf that bit me had red eyes." Stiles was pretty sure what it meant, but it never hurt to have the theories confirmed.

"Red eyes are Alpha's eyes. An Alpha's bite is the only one that can turn people." Stiles had sort of guessed at that one too.

"So it really wasn't you that turned me." Stiles murmured, but Derek heard him.

"What, you didn't believe me the first time?" The wounded sound of Derek's voice made Stiles smile just a bit before he shook himself out of it.

"No, I mean, yeah, I mean. Yes. I believed you, it's just nice to have proof you know?"

Derek nodded before he rose from the bed and walked towards the window. "Make sure you stay away from the field. It seems you're very protective of the people you consider pack. If Scott gets hurt again, you could lose control."

"B-but he's first line!" Stiles argued. "I can't just _not_ see him play."

Derek turned and pinned Stiles with those misty green eyes that were starting to grow on him. "Then figure out a way to control you instinct. You have very strong sense of Pack, you want to protect him and that isn't bad. What's bad is how far you would go to do it."

And just like that, Derek was gone.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

"Did you take the body? You now, the one in the woods. Your sister."

Stiles really hadn't wanted to ask. He hadn't even wanted to bring it up, but he couldn't really help it. The game was coming up and his father had enforced curfew on the whole town. The Alpha was still on the loose and no one had any clues. His dad was on a direct train to danger and Stiles needed to find a way to help, but he couldn't if he didn't know anything more.

So he'd gone to Derek and decided to be straight.

Apparently, it had been the best decision given the circumstances.

"Yes." Derek answered stiffly.

Stiles just nodded. Sensing the tension. He trusted Derek at this point. The man wasn't a murderer, he was just a werewolf trying to keep everything from falling apart and Stiles could sympathize.

"Why did you guys come back anyways?"

This seemed to be an easier question for Derek, because he didn't answer with nearly as much strain.

"Laura found out something. Something about the fire that killed our family. We came back here for more answers but-"

"But someone wanted to keep their own secret. Yeah I get it." Stiles interjected, sighing at the hopelessness of the situation. "Did you at least give her a burial?"

Derek nodded stiffly, his gaze going to the side of the house where Stiles had originally smelled the blood. That had been what had actually prompted him to dig tonight. The night was only meant to be a lesson in control. They'd been getting into the habit of practicing when Stiles' father was away at night and it always somehow ended up being at the old Hale house. Derek had started Stiles on martial arts so the teen would have more knowledge than just how to swing his claws around. Stiles had to say, it helped keep him under control, when he knew he could fight back with more than instincts.

"My dad thinks it was an animal attack." He said off handedly, practicing his sight as he peered into the forest. "Something red." He called out right after.

"Really?" The sardonic tone of voice wasn't meant as a dig to his father's skills as a cop, at least, Stiles hoped it wasn't. "He's kinda right though, isn't he?" Derek answered before he called out his answer. "Red brick fence, seven miles out."

"Damnit!" Stiles called, tossing his head back in defeat. "I thought for sure you wouldn't be able to see that one."

Derek snorted. "I've had longer at this than you pup."

That's another thing, ever since the training had started, Derek had gotten into the habit of calling him canine baby names. Pup, puppy, cub all of them had been used at some point. Also at some point, Stiles had stopped fighting it.

"Yeah yeah. I wonder if all pure-bred dogs have the same pompous attitude you do." He jabbed back, getting a chuckle out of Derek.

When he left that night, he left without any new clues to add to his minimal collection.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

"Please tell me you found something on Derek." Scott's voice was pleading and Stiles' was annoyed as he answered.

"No, because Derek isn't the killer. Didn't I tell you that? It was his sister man, why would he kill his sister."

"Stiles, it has to be Derek. There is literally nobody else. You are spending too much time with him, he's messing with you or something."

Stiles groaned into the phone as Scott argued the same topic again. They had gone back of forth on this since that afternoon in the locker room. Scott didn't trust Derek but Stiles did.

"Who's the werewolf here buddy?" Stiles asked. Of course, he was ignored.

"I'm serious man, your dad needs to catch whoever did this by Saturday. If the curfew is still up, I won't be able to go out with Allison." And with that bit of information, Stiles suddenly knew why Scott was pushing so hard that the murderer was Derek, even though Stiles denied it every time.

"Scott, you can't be serious. Derek had been teaching me how to control myself man, he's been helping me! He's looking for the killer too you know. It wasn't him."

"Stiles, he's got you confused or something. It was him man, everything points to him. You even told me that he admitted to taking the body from the woods."

Stiles felt protective or Derek so he argued. "It was his sister man, he wanted to give her a place to rest, a burial. Besides, he already lost most of his family in the fire, why would he take out his own sister?"

"Maybe the fire was his fault and his sister knew. You said he told you that she'd figured something out and that's why they came back, he could have killed her to keep her quite."

"But why do it in Beacon Hills? Why not kill her before she ever set foot back here again? They had no family Scott, no one would miss her, so why kill her in the woods of Beacon Hills?"

"I don't know Stiles, he _wanted_ to get caught?" There was shuffling and then Scott sighed. "Come on man, it has to be Derek. It can't be anyone else. Your dad needs to bust Derek and get this curfew off of everyone's backs. Allison told me to invite you know. Lydia is going to be there."

The thought wasn't as tempting as it would have been a couple of days ago. In fact, the thought was actually a little repulsive. "Yeah, with Jackson Whittmore, sucking face. I don't need to see that man, have mercy on my soul I don't remember doing some evil, demented things in my past lives." Scott's laugh was a relief. Maybe his friend would finally let it go. No such luck though.

"So where did he bury her anyways. His sister, if it actually is his sister."

Stiles thought about not telling Scott, thought about all the ways the information could cause harm. But again, like every other argument he'd had with himself on the matter, the answer was always the same. This as Scott.

"Next to the Hale house. I think he wanted her to rest with the rest of the family. You know, pack mentality sort of thing. If I ever died, I know I'd want to be buried near my mother, so I can see where his going."

And that…had been his fatal mistake.

The next time he saw Derek, it was in the back of his dad's police cruiser, hand-cuffed and glowering.

"You told him. I thought I could trust you, I thought you could trust me." Derek had growled.

"I do trust you! I just thought I could trust him too!" Stiles had argued, desperate to get through the cold wall Derek was building up again. But no such luck.

"And can you. Can you trust him?"

Stiles didn't know. He honestly wasn't sure he could trust Scott anymore.

Then his dad pulled him out of the cruiser by the arm and dragged him outside.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sheriff Stilinski chided, his glare more scalding than Derek's had been in the back of the cruiser.

"I-I.." He didn't know how to answer really, but he figured he would go with the truth, even if it wasn't the whole truth. "I'm just trying to help."

"Alright." He dad said, apparently not letting him off the hook. "Then why don't you help me understand exactly how you came across this."

That's when the Sheriff had Stiles. He honestly didn't know what to say, he couldn't say he was friends with Derek that would bring up way more questions than it answered. He couldn't say he was a werewolf who has super senses, he couldn't say anything really so again, he settled for the truth. _Old and incomplete as the truth was._

"Oh-kay. We were…looking for my phone."

"Which you dropped when?"

"The other night."

"The other night when you were out here looking for the first half of the body."

"Yes."

"The night that Scott told me he was alone and you were at home."

"Yes." The word came out before he could catch it and he cursed in his head. "No." He switched with wide eyes, but it was obvious by his father's face that his credibility was out the window. "ah crap."

"So he lied to me." The Sheriff probed Stiles panic and natural instinct kicked in.

"That depends on how you define lying."

"I define it as not telling the truth, how do you define it?"

Stiles stumbled over his thoughts before, once again, his mouth just started moving on its own. "Reclining your body…in a…horizontal…position?"

"Get the hell out of here." His father breathed, giving him an out. Stiles took it. No matter how bad he felt for perpetually fucking Derek over, he was going to take any chance his dad gave, to escape unscathed.

In the car though, when he saw Scott's face, he was ready to let his wolfy side loose on his best friend.

"I can't believe you did that to me." He growled as he drove.

Scott was on his phone, keeping as far away from Stiles as the Jeep allowed. "To you? I didn't do anything to you Stiles! Derek is the murderer, he has to be."

"He was helping me Scott!" Stiles yelled, his voice much deeper than usual. God he was angry, he was so pissed off and the only thing holding him at bay were the few lessons Derek had taught him about control before all of this shit happened. "If it wasn't for him, I would be ripping at your throat right now with my very sharp, very DEADLY teeth!"

"I'm not sorry man! He was helping you because he wanted to control you, wanted you in his pack or something. Didn't you say the eyes defined the pack placement or something? You said his eyes meant he killed someone, why is it so hard to believe that it could be this girl?"

"It was his sister!" Stiles repeated for the millionth time. He was going to lose, he was going to explode and shift and kill Scott.

The betrayal of his truth, it hurt a lot, but most of all it was how Derek had looked at him from the back of the cruiser. He had betrayed Derek too.

"You're going to help me prove he's innocent."

"What?!"

Stiles ignored Scott's rise in pitch as he drove on, the thought making itself a more solid presence in his mind. "You are going to help me find proof that he is innocent. And you better hope to god e forgives you Scott, or I never will."

"Why are you so hung up on this Stiles? You've known him for all of two weeks, maybe less."

He honestly didn't know. He couldn't put it into words though, couldn't articulate his gut feelings, but he knew what it felt like. Derek had helped him when Scott had left. Derek had been there when Stiles lost control and Derek had saved him when the hunters came after them, always keeping Stiles in front so he could make sure he never lost sight of him. But most of all, Derek had lost his whole family. Even his sister.

"Because he understands." Stiles decided to say. It wasn't all of it, and it wasn't nearly enough, but that was the only real answer he had.

He could feel Scott's glare.

"He doesn't understand anything Stiles he's a freakin' murderer! When are you going to understand THAT!" Scott yelled and Stiles slammed on the breaks.

The jerk forward slammed Scott's head into the dashboard and Scott groaned, but Stiles didn't care.

"Get out!" he roared. Scott didn't seem to hear him, so it came out again, the grown tracing his words with dark ice. "GET OUT!"

And Scott did this time. He scrambled to open the door of the jeep, falling out into the dirt road as Stiles drove away.

He didn't once look back.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

When the news came that Derek was let out of jail due to the medical examiner determining the killer was animal and not human, the first thing Stiles did was go to see Derek. He was expecting to be turned away, expected to be chased out, beaten, to be reamed for breaking the trust of the one person who honestly wanted to help him. But he was shocked to find out that he wasn't.

"I am so sorry, I did-I mean—I wouldn't. I mean, I didn't know he would, I thought I could—I didn't think he could-" But he never got any of those sentences finished as the second he was within arms-reach, Derek grabbed his shoulders and wrapped his arms around him.

_I am being hugged. I'm being hugged by Derek Hale. Derek Hale is hugging me._

"Ugh…Derek?" He was smaller than Derek, so his words were muffled by Derek's shoulder.

"You're the only pack I have left."

Stiles didn't really know what to do or say so he just sort of, wrapped his own arms loosely around Derek as the taller wolf squeezed him.

"I didn't think of you as pack, didn't think of you as anything really, but when they asked me if I wanted to make a phone call, my first instinct was to call you." What felt even stranger was that Derek's tone wasn't emotional. In fact, it was pretty empty, like he was reciting facts from a text book, but the hug was tight, almost too tight. It did a pretty good job of conveying the things Derek himself wasn't saying.

Besides all of that, it felt good. The contact, something Scott hasn't done since the whole werewolf thing, Stiles missed it.

"Yeah, you're the only pack I have too." Stiles murmured, even though he didn't really know if that was true or not, it didn't matter. The hug ended and Derek moved away like it had never happened.

"Green, blue, pink." Derek said as he stared over Stiles' shoulder.

Stiles turned and peered out into the woods. In seconds he knew what it was. "Humming bird six miles o-" he turned back around to face Derek, but Derek was gone.

_Well. I'm beginning to think he enjoys being creepy._


	3. Episode Three Pack Mentality

**Stiles The Teen Wolf  
Episode Three: Pack Mentality**

The second Stiles bolted up from his bed, head spinning, gut clenching, heart pounding, he knew something was wrong. His first instinct was to call Scott, tell the boy all about the weird nightmare he had about blood, a bus, and Derek, but he knew he couldn't.

Scott had betrayed him, made him betray Derek. Scott had given out information that wasn't his to give and got Derek arrested. He wasn't even ready to look Scott in the face much less tell him another secret he's friend could use against him. So he did the next best thing.

Pushing the covers off his sweaty form, he pulled open the window and reached for his phone.

It only took two rings before the gruff voice answered with the normal undertone of threat that Stiles heard on a somewhat daily bases. Apparently Derek Hale _never_ slept.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Derek, do you…ugh do you ever sleep?"

There was a grunt from the other line, his only answer. Stiles decided to go with it. "You think you could come over?"

There was silence in the other end as Stiles took a seat on his computer chair. It lasted longer than Stiles was comfortable with, so he continued. "I mean, I know it's late, is it like what-" he pulled his phone away from his face to check the time and cursed. "Holy- wow, okay. I'm sorry man it's like six in the morning. You know what. Never mind, I can deal. Just…ugh, you know. Just go back to sleep."

He was about to just hang up again when Derek's voice came back, some of the threat gone from it.

"I'll be there in a few."

And then the dial tone.

Stiles didn't know whether to be happy or very very nervous. This could all be just an epic waste of time and effort on Derek's part. It's not like dreams even meant anything right?

So why did it all feel so real? The blood, the screaming, the body struggling against his for survival. It felt like he had killed someone. Like he had killed Derek. How much did he really want to tell Derek to his face that he'd dreamed of killing older wolf?

He really wanted to talk to Scott. No matter what the other boy did, it was a basic instinct to turn to his best friend when he was confused, or stressed, or nervous, or hell, even if he had something interesting it was all shared with Scott. Still, every time he picked up the phone to call his friend, Derek's voice echoed in his head.

"_Can you? Can you trust him?"_

_I don't know, but I want to. I really, really want to._

He's thoughts were derailed when he heard Derek's approach. It was easier to pick up Derek's heartbeat than anyone except his Father's. He didn't know why but he just knew when Derek was around, when Derek was close. Like an instinct. Maybe all werewolves could sense each other like that.

"So what happened?"

No greeting, no 'good morning', no pleasantries. _Cutting right through the bullshit. Right. Guess I better follow in his footsteps. _

"Do werewolves dream?" Stiles flushed a little as he realized what had actually come out of his mouth. God that sounded so stupid, especially spoken out loud. When he chanced a look up at Derek, he was rewarded with a confirmation to his assumption that his question had been completely mental.

"Yeah, Stiles, werewolves dream. Why are you asking?" Obviously, Derek trusted him enough to still stick around to see if there had actually been any need to come all the way here. Stiles wasn't so sure anymore though, but he plowed on.

"I had this really vivid dream about…" Well, he didn't really know how to put it. _Well you see man, I had this dream where I chased you into a bus, cut you up with my claws, dragged you back when you tried to escape, and basically gutted you right there on the floor._ No. For some reason, Stiles didn't think that would go over too well at all. "About killing someone."

That got a more serious response than Stiles had been anticipating.

Derek bolted up from his seat on the edge of the bed and rushed to Stiles. His big hand was on the back of Stiles' neck in seconds and he was looking straight into electric blue eyes that glowed in the light from the moon. _Wow, those really are a very beautiful color._

"Where? How real are we talking? Did you smell blood? Did you hear anything? Who did you kill?"

The questions came in rapid fire and Stiles was honestly thrown for a loop. Not to mention how distracting it was to have Derek's face seriously inches away. He was freaking out inside. It wasn't like he actually thought his little nightmare warranted this much distress from the man.

"Derek! Derek, man it was a nightmare!" He argued, breaking into the man's ranted questions.

"It wasn't just a nightmare Stiles. There was an attack tonight."

Stiles suddenly couldn't breathe. That had to be some kind of joke right? But then again, Derek's sense of humor wasn't _that _twisted. Okay, wasn't a joke, then what was it? An accusation? Did Derek think he had done it? What exactly was _it_? What did an 'attack' mean? Did someone die?

"Stiles."

He knew what he had dreamed, the memory was clear the blood still soaked his hands and his claws were still buried deep in Derek's gut as he growled like an animal. Was that what had happened?

"Stiles!"

He could feel Derek's hands on his cheeks, holding his face and lightly slapping there to get his attention. "Come on Stiles, you got to tell me what happened. What did you see? Stiles?" The blue eyes were gone and Derek's natural green were back. _Okay, I think that one is actually prettier than the other one._ He took a deep breath, his nose filling with the scent of Derek's worry, almost fear, and then there was just…_Derek_. All of his senses were filled with the larger wolf and it brought the calm back to his head, to his heart. Thing is, it actually brought some of the nightmare back clearer too.

This hadn't been the scent on the bus, it hadn't been Derek's blood. It had been Derek's face, but not his presence and Stiles could suddenly tell the difference very clearly.

"It happened in a bus. Back of the School, a man, older and scared shitless." Stiles said through the sudden haze of overflowing _Derek_.

The green turned blue and Derek backed off. Stiles could finally breathed fresh air and get his hand on straight.

"You don't think I did it…do you?"

Derek's answer came quick. "No." Like a reassurance that Stiles really hadn't been expecting. He'd expected some skepticism, not the instant denial of Stiles guilt. But then Derek went on. "You've been in your house all night."

And then Stiles' thoughts screeched to a halt all at once only one very loud very lard part of his brain kicked in. _He was stalking me?_

"You were stalking me?" Stiles knew he sounded accusing, and edgy even though he was the one that had called Derek over tonight, but that didn't matter. Derek was _stalking _him! The bastard didn't even look guilty, didn't even have the decency to blush and stutter like Stiles himself would be doing if he was caught watching someone sleep!

"No, genius. Your scent wasn't outside tonight and the traces of it that were had to be several hours old." That raised eyebrow and the look that stated just how stupid Derek believed him to be had Stiles choking on his earlier accusation.

"Oh." It was really the only thing he could think of to say considering the situation. _Time to change the topic._ "Then who do you think did it? Are there any other wolves in Beacon Hills?"

Derek's expression when from skeptical amusement to dim and grave in point two seconds and looking at it, Stiles knew exactly who the culprit really had to be. The Alpha.

He hadn't noticed he'd said I out loud until Derek nodded his head. Then again, maybe he didn't say it out loud and Derek was just answering his earlier question. He would never really know because in one instant, Derek was up and away from him, standing by the open window ready to go.

"Check out the bus tonight. It's too early today and you have school in an hour. Anything you remember, you tell me."

And just like that Derek was gone, his scent the only thing left behind to prove to Stiles that at least the last couple of minutes hadn't been a dream too.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Stiles did talk to Scott. Or actually, Scott talked to Stiles.

That morning he found his friend waiting for him in front of the school, no Allison nearby. That in itself had been a bit of a surprise, seeing how much time Scott spent with Allison now a days. Hell, Scott had basically been initiated into 'Lydia Martin's clique' do to his relationship with Allison who had _actually_ become Lydia's best friend since that first day.

Still, for the first two minutes, Stiles had managed to ignore him as the human boy followed after him, running his mouth in apologies and promises Stiles honestly didn't believe. But then he had seen the bus. The bloody, scratched up bus where his nightmare had taken place. Apparently not a nightmare at all. So he broke down.

When Scott asked him why he'd turned even paler than usual and why he was breaking out in a cold sweat and 'Dude, your eyes are yellow!', Stiles told him everything. Well, everything except what had happened with Derek that morning and who the older wolf suspected actually committed the attack. Of course, he should've guessed Scott's answer, he was actually disappointed in himself that he didn't see it coming in the end.

When he had finished recounting his dream and when Scott looked over at the bus, the fear radiating off of Scott really wasn't a surprise. It shouldn't have been anyways, but it actually was. Stiles felt the sting of betrayal all over again. Scott actually believed he did it.

He was being stupid, he knew, he had believed he did it himself this morning too until Derek had shot the idea down firmly and soundly with a very convincing argument. And then Scott opened his mouth.

"Stiles, I think Derek did it."

Stiles recoiled like he'd been slapped right across the face and he felt his claws and fangs coming, and by the look on Scott's face, his eyes had shifted too. His best friend was quick to take it back, they had only _just_ reconciled after all.

"I mean, you don't think _you_ did it do you? Is there any other wolves in Beacon Hills we should know about? Is there like a pack of them or something?" Scott waved his hands around as they walked. It was a very 'Stiles' move of him and Stiles actually appreciated the level of enthusiasm and flail in which Scott copied his signature movements.

"Personally, I am taking this really well for a newly turned wolf. I just want you to appreciate that for a second. And yeah there is at least one other wolf in this town that me and Derek know of, we just don't know who he is."

Scott didn't say anything about Derek for the rest of first and second period. Even when the body of the man who had been attacked was found during their Chemistry class. The whole class was startled into frightened yells when the body bolted up screaming, although Stiles was the only one who breathed a sigh of relief. If Derek was wrong and it had been Stiles, at least he hadn't killed the man.

And then Scott started talking about Derek at lunch.

"What makes you think Derek has all the answers? So he's helping you control your wolf, maybe that's just to cover his own ass. Hunters are out there and now that they know he's back in town, maybe he needs a pack to protect him and he wants you in it. Ever think about that?"

Actually, he had but he hadn't thought of it in the tone that Scott so clearly did. In Stiles' mind, he was already a part of Derek's pack, whether or not they had an Alpha. He thought of it as a good thing really, as a place beyond his home where he really belonged. Someone who would have his back, even when he fucked up. So what if Derek was running from Hunters, Stiles would stand next to him just like he stood next to Stiles when Allison's father – _still don't know if it was actually him, Argent could just be a very popular name_ – had shot him in the arm with a cross bow.

"Scott, I've thought of that okay? It wasn't Derek. I saw him this morning and there was no blood, not even a trace of a scent, and scents linger man. A werewolf can always tell where you've been just by how you smell, especially if we concentrate." Stiles said, smiling a bit when Scott scrunched his nose up in a look of mild disgust.

"That has got to be unpleasant." Scott remarked, setting his tray down and taking a seat on one of the cafeteria tables. Scott sat down across from him.

"Not always." Stiles admitted. "It helps me monitor my father's heart you know? What he's eaten, if he's stressed, whatever. It helps me take care of him a little better." And that was true, it was one of the parts of becoming a werewolf that he thanked every day. "Anyways, it wasn't Derek man. You have to let it go and help me out. If we all worked together on this I think we could figure it out."

"Figure what out?"

Lydia Martin's voice came at Stiles like a bucket of cold water and then her perfume hit him like a punch to the nose making his flinch and sneeze. Holy shit he had never been this close to her in his life and now he found himself wishing she would actually back up a bit more. He kept his mouth shut as she sat down next to Scott, but he couldn't hold it that way for long.

"Why is she sitting with us?" He mouthed as silently as he could to his best friend.

When he saw Allison take Scott's other side, suddenly it was clear. Scott really was part of Lydia's clique.

A girl took the seat next to his and a boy to his other side. He felt so out of place, he was much more used to sitting alone with Scott, able to talk and laugh without the eyes of judgment so close. He wasn't sure how much he liked this new set it.

It got even worse when he gave the girl beside him a smile and a nod and was snubbed off like _she_ hadn't grabbed the seat next to his.

He turned to the boy and noticed Danny, strong and gay Danny. Stiles tried sending him a smile and when the response was the same, his feelings of being out of place were actually confirmed. When Jackson came striding close, Stiles honestly just wanted to get up and away from the table of artificial smells and even more artificial smiles.

"Get up." Jackson's voice was ice cold and Stiles wanted to snarl.

"You never ask Danny to get up." The guy at the head of the table complained, gathering his stuff anyways.

"Because I don't stare at his girlfriend's coin slot." Danny responded with humor and a smile. _Okay, maybe not all the smiles in the table were artificial._

That's when Stiles noticed that he hadn't once looked at Lydia's boobs. Yeah, okay, kind of a perverted thought, but he used to drool over her for hours on end like some long lost puppy. He hadn't been doing it anymore for a while. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been jealous of Jackson having his arm around Lydia.

And then then they started discussing the attack and Stiles felt his stomach fall. If they knew the truth they wouldn't even be sitting here with him and Scott…actually. If they knew the truth, he'd probably be the only one avoided, Scott would be off with all of them living the life he'd always dreamed of during his dorky days. The sudden resentment for Scott's bettering asthma and his friend's determination to get better during the summer was shocking and Stiles tried to ignore it fiercely, going through his phone in hopes of finding any new information he could share with Derek later in the night.

He'd found, instead, who the victim was.

"Actually I just found out who it is. Check it out."

Garrison Myers, Scott's old bus drive from when he lived with his dad. What a random connection. Had that just been chance or something? Garrison had been the only man out last night, or had it been planned?

After that, things got a tad bit more interesting for Stiles.

Now, he'd never admit to enjoying the pain and torment of anyone, but Scott was kind of an exception. Watching his best friend struggle with the loss of his 'date' to the status of 'hang out' and the added bonus of Lydia and Jackson _AND_ bowling. It was entertaining, he wouldn't lie.

"You're a terrible bowler!" Stiles called with a slight smile.

"I know!" He heard Scott groan. "I'm such an idiot."

"God." Stiles said, trying so hard not to laugh at his friend's misfortune. "It was like watching a car wreck except ten times more painful. I mean, first it turned into the whole 'group date' thing and then out of nowhere comes that phrase-"

"Hanging out!"

"You don't hang out with hot girls, okay? It's like death. Once it's hanging out and then you might as well be her gay best friend. You and Danny can start hanging out." God he wanted to laugh so bad, but it would be so unsupportive. No matter how Scott had treated his own problems, this was dating. Stiles could understand and sympathize on some level about how important it was at their age. He may be a werewolf, but he is a teenager first, so he keeps his amusement down. And then his thoughts started wondering.

"How is this happening? Why did she have to call it 'hanging out'?"

"I don't think Danny likes me very much." Stiles confided.

Scott was still on his own train tracks. "I asked Allison on a date and now we're hanging out."

"Am I not attractive to gay guys?" For some reason the thought really bothered Stiles. He knew he wasn't that attractive to most straight girls, but gay guys had to be different right? He had to be considered 'attractive' so something, even if he didn't swing that way, otherwise life would just be unfair.

Scott still wasn't listening though. "I made first line and the team captain wants to destroy me, and now…now I'm gonna be late for work." Scott's footsteps went faster, farther away from him and Stiles was disheartened.

"Wait! Scott! You didn't an- Am I attractive to gay guys!? You didn't answer by question…" frustration kicked in as once again he was ignored by his best friend because of Allison.

He felt bad for hating her to some level. Really wasn't her fault that Scott wasn't a loyal trust worthy friend, but still…he couldn't help the white hot surge of anger he wanted to direct and both her and Scott. He felt his claws come and decided to walk away from this. He needed to cool down.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

"Orange and blue."

His eyes raked across the landscape from the very edge of the park, almost hidden by woods as he sat on the fallen-leafs covered floor. "Detail?" He called out to the man standing against a tree just behind him.

"Misaka logo." Derek's voice called out.

That's when Stiles spotted it. "Volleyball, two miles out. Come on Derek, you aren't even trying anymore."

Stiles could practically feel the smirk at his back but he refused to be distracted. They'd been playing this game of theirs for almost three hours, each one calling out the colors of an item so the other one could find it. It was like a long distance, werewolf version of 'I Spy'. The only catch was gauging distance. Stiles had been completely terrible at that part at first, but now it as second nature. He had keen eyes, but depending on the distance, Derek trumped him easily. His better sense, believe it or not, was smell. Given just a couple hours he could track Derek down wherever the older wolf was.

When he found the man sitting on the bench of a park, he'd been a little surprised, he didn't think Derek was one for parks, until Derek explained that it was where he'd take his youngest sister to play.

After that conversation had been tense until Stiles started up their natural game, even going as far to move farther into the tree lines to create more distance between them and the many town life objects.

"Fine then hotshot. Green and red." Derek called again, skipping Stiles turn.

"Whoa, hey, wait for your turn." He argued, even as his eyes scanned over the scenery as fast as he could. It took him longer to find the objects then it had when they played from the Hale house front steps. At least there wasn't much distraction from the Hale house. Here, the park filled with kids and the sheer amount of possible objects were a distraction.

"Detail?"

"Plant."

That gave Stiles something to focus for. A plant. Fruit maybe? He scanned everything still green but found nothing red along with it. "Nothing grows at this time of year." Stiles protested, but that was a shitty excuse.

He was glad when Derek tossed him another bone. "It's in doors."

And that was all he needed, he found it seconds later. "Tomato, four miles out, blue house, dark gray roof. Woman's making salsa." It was more information than he needed for the game, but he figured he would toss in all of that to save some face. He'd needed a second clue after all.

Derek snorted from behind him before a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Yeah, alright. Come on, let's get out of here. It's starting to rain."

"Okay." Stiles used the hand Derek held out to help him up. "I got to get going anyways. I'm checking out the bus tonight."

Derek raised an eyebrow at him. "Want me to come along?"

Suddenly Stiles felt guilty.

"I kinda…I asked Scott to-" and just like that the friendly feeling he had with Derek was gone and just like a wall coming down, the apathy overtook Derek's features.

"Alright. Make sure you know what you're doing." Was all he said before he was gone.

Stiles was left a little empty as he made his way to his jeep. He wasn't sure why, but he hated the feeling of letting Derek down. Of disappointing Derek or anything negative like that. Maybe it was just because all Derek was trying to do was help him and Stiles kept on going back to a shitty ass friend who could never see past his own problems. _Come on Stiles, Scott isn't that bad. He's a good friend, he's got a life too it's not all about you._

But sometimes it started to feel like _nothing_ was about him.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

When he called Scott about picking him up, Scott was confused. Stiles had to explain again about the bus, and the driver, and the wolf, but once Scott got it, everything was fine. Until he got there.

"Hey dude, think we can drive Allison home?"

Innocent question really, he couldn't blame Scott for it, he wasn't even opposed to doing it, they had time after all. He regretted his decision the moment they got in the car. Scott didn't sit up front, and neither did Allison. No, both of them were in the back, talking softly and making out. Stiles felt more like a chauffeur than a friend and that was so very irritating.

He felt his claws coming in and out as he breathed. He could only focus on his own breath or the road because if he expanded his senses anymore he would be listening to Allison giggle and argue that they were in Stiles' car and it was rude, and Scott would be saying that it was all okay, Stiles was cool, and Stiles would be about ready to rip both of them to shreds because Allison was right. It was rude and mean and really insensitive.

Scott made first like, Scott got a hot girl, Scott got the popular friends and what was Stiles left with? A werewolf bite, dead bodies, weird dreams, a horny unhelpful best friend, and Derek.

Derek was the only good thing in the whole mess.

Soon enough, they were at Allison's house and Stiles finally confirmed that, yes. Chris Argent is her dad. Her dad shot him in the forearm with a cross bow. His hate for her was rising every day, until…

"Thank you Stiles. I'm sorry about this okay? I'll just drive my car next time. Go spend some time with him." She leaned over the open window and kissed his cheek, and just like that, his anger deflated. He couldn't hate her. She didn't know anything, she obviously didn't know about her father, and she wasn't responsible for the way Scott treated him.

That didn't mean he wasn't mad at Scott though.

The ride to the school was silent and there was tension in the car though mostly it was coming from Stiles. Scott for his part, kept silent because of the way this had gone for him the last time he'd run his mouth off in his friend's car. Being thrown out and having to walk back home wasn't something Scott wanted to repeat any time soon.

When they go to school, it changed.

He had been there. Derek had been wrong, he had been out that night. He had been there because he remembered it, remembered protecting the man and fighting off a beast with glowing red eyes. The Alpha.

They had nearly been caught but that wasn't a big deal. The second they were out of range Stiles had taken the wheel from Scott who gave it reluctantly.

He didn't say anything. Didn't share what he had found out with Scott, even if the human boy kept asking the whole way home. He didn't trust Scott enough, Scott would think Derek had done it. But Stiles knew what had happened, he finally remembered all of that night.

The hunt.

It was the pack initiation that Derek had talked about, the first kill that would change his eyes. The Alpha wanted him in the pack. He almost wanted to be sick.

But he hadn't done it. He hadn't killed, he had protected.

He needed to tell Derek, and so that was where he went the second he dropped Scott off.

"I was there. I was out that night."

His first words as he walked right through the Hale House front door were hardly considered a greeting, but it wasn't like Derek needed one. The older wolf was down the stairs and in front of him in less than a minute and for some reason, Stiles felt like reaching out and touching the other wolf. He needed to reassure himself that _this_ was his pack. Not a psychotic murdering nut job who wants to maim and kill. This person, this other wolf in front of him was pack.

Derek's eyes were frantic and worried. "But your scent wasn't-"

"I think I used my car." Stiles explained. "I didn't use the window, I knew exactly what was going on and I needed to stop it. The Alpha Derek, he wanted to hunt, he pushed me into going for the first hunt. I was supposed to kill that guy."

Maybe Derek saw how shaken Stiles really was. Maybe it was just the thought of someone else claiming his pack mate, whatever the case, Stiles soon found himself once again in Derek's embrace. This one didn't feel nearly as weird and awkward as the first, so he didn't hesitate to wrap his own arms around Derek, rubbing his forehead on a leather clad shoulder. A part of him, the wolf part he realized, was finding a way of getting Derek's scent on him and his scent on Derek. He needed his pack, all one member of it. So he didn't fight it.

He got his hands under the leather jacket, but not the tight black t-shirt, and he rubbed his palms over Derek's back, keeping his face against the man's shoulder.

Derek must have felt the instinct too, because his cheek was rubbing at the side of Stiles' head. Stiles could feel the stubble in a not entirely unpleasant way. Derek's own hands had reached under his own jacket but not his t-shirt.

"He wants you in his pack." Derek's voice was a low growl, his wolf probably close to the surface. Stiles understood why. Pack was family, the loss of a pack member was like the loss of one's own limb, which is what Derek had told him during one of their training sessions. He remember how sad it made him when he thought about how Derek had lost his whole pack, his whole family all in one night. Now he knew what the threat of it felt like.

He didn't want to belong to a pack with a murderer as an Alpha, a pack with no sense of 'family'. That was one of the only things he really wanted now that he was a werewolf, a 'family' oriented pack.

They passed a good amount of time like that. Wrapped up in comfort and support. Neither one really willing to pull away until the other one does. Sure, this pack wasn't really perfect. Hell, they were basically just two Omegas clinging to each other in the hopes of making their situation make some sort of sense, but still. Derek had, in some ways, become a better friend than Scott as of lately. Not to say he could ever forget Scott. They had been through a lot, but it all felt so far away now. Now that Scott had Allison.

"I should-ah…probably go home." Stiles said into Derek's shoulder. He was forcing himself to pull away, slowly as it was. Derek too was retreating, a little faster than Stiles. "My dad's probably wondering where I man and all."

God why was it back to being awkward. So he hugged a dude, big deal, he hugged Scott all the time. _Not like that…but maybe that was okay. I used to hug Scott like that._

"Yeah." Derek agreed, his voice not growling but gruff. "Next time you know what's going on, don't go into it alone. Call me. I'll answer. We are pack."

And that word held a lot of meaning in it. That word was both comfort and danger, that one word was the best and the worst thing to Stiles. It was being offered by two different people and while he wanted one, his instinct called for the other.

"Okay." Stiles shook his head. Giving Derek a grin. "Okay."

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

The next night, Stiles found himself once again, thanking the gods for creating the darkness. Climbing through Scott's window as so much easier as a wolf, upper body strength or not, his claws helped keep him stead as he pulled the window open just a little more and rolled his way inside. The lights were off and Stiles knew that Scott was on his 'date' with Allison, Lydia, and Jackson, so he would wait. He would sit there in the darkness of his best friend's room in sadness in wait.

What he wasn't expecting was the tall figure standing above him with a bat. He was screaming before he even realized he was, hiding his face so he didn't get hit in an obvious place least he heal standing right there in front of Scott's mom. The screams from Melisa were deafening though, a high pitch that send his head reeling and his eyes shifting. He held it back as best he could until she stopped.

"Stiles! What the hell are you _doing_ here?!"

Stiles was on the edge of his emotions right now. So he snapped back. "What am _I_ doing? God! Do either of you even _play_ baseball?!"

Melisa opened her mouth as if to speak, but the lights turned on and Scott walked in.

"Can you please tell your friend to use the front door?" She rounded to Scott who shrugged his shoulders.

"But we lock front door. He wouldn't be able to get in." He said it like it was obvious, but Stiles actually would have been able to get in, just not quietly.

"Exactly." Melisa argued. "Do either of you even care that there is a police enforced curfew?"

Well, at first, yes. Allison wouldn't have been able to go out with Scott because of it if it weren't for Lydia pushing her to defy her father's orders. So at that moment, the answer was the same for both of them.

"No."

Melisa looked frustrated, but she gave up, like she always did when it came to Stiles and Scott.

"That's enough parenting for me for one night. Goodnight."

Both the boys echoed her sentiment before Scott pulled up his desk chair and asked why Stiles was there. So Stiles told him what he hadn't the night before. Told him what he'd told Derek.

The attack of the man who drove Scott's bus had in fact involved Stiles, but not in the way they had thought. Stiles had been there to protect, in fact, most of the blood in the bus was Stiles' not the victim. He told Scott about pack initiation and the first hunt and the first kill together. Of course, Scott's answer was predictable.

"It was Derek." Scott concluded and Stiles almost gave up right there, but he figured he'd give it one last try.

"Derek's eyes are blue. I've seen him wolf out Scott. These eyes, they were red. Blood red. They were Alpha's eyes, the person who bit me."

"So that's the other wolf you said was in Beacon Hills. Is it only the three of you?" Scott's brows were furrowed and he was giving the whole subject serious thought and Stiles was grateful for that at least.

"Yeah it's just the three of us from what I know. Omegas pass by every once in a while but no other werewolf stays or kills in pack lands that doesn't belong to them. This Alpha, he thinks Beacon Hills is his territory." Stiles explained before sighing deeply.

It didn't go unnoticed and Scott actually asked him what was wrong for once. Stiles felt close to Scott again. Scott was actually listening this time, actually hearing him out and being here, this was what he needed.

"My dad left for the hospital fifteen minutes ago, it's the bus driver. They said he 'succumbed to his wounds'."

Scott's face was sympathetic and shocked all at once.

"Succumbed?" Scott echoed. Stiles felt a little sick to his stomach as he played with his hands. His mind was moving at a mile a minute, he was over-thinking all of this. He felt weak.

"Scott..he's dead."

And suddenly his best friend got it.

"You're not a murderer." Scott said firmly, his eyes hard and trained on Stiles like they were meant to burn him. But Stiles just felt cold.

"Yeah man…I am."

Scott shook his head fiercely, "You're not! Derek is! He killed the guy, he killed his sister! He's going to kill you too Stiles you have to-"

"Derek didn't do it Scott!" He growled at his friends face, his teeth bared, his claws out and his face furry.

Scott was surprised at first. Scared and confused, but then he looked closer at Stiles as the werewolf inside of him calmed down, and suddenly Scott was smiling.

"You didn't kill anyone." He said breathlessly. Certainty and conviction in his voice.

"How do you know?!" Stiles growled back.

Scott pointed to his face, no wait, his eyes.

"They aren't blue man. You haven't killed anyone or anything, your eyes are still golden yellow."

It was disarming. The moment of devastating silence before his body sagged in relief like the breathe was knocked out of him. Scott was right, his eyes would change if he had killed. If he was part of the murderer Alpha's pack, his eyes would have changed. And just like that he flew towards his friend, his arms coming around Scott in a bone crushing hug before he pulled away and was gone, a quick whispered "Thank you." On his lips.

He made his way straight to Derek.

But when he found him to tell him, Derek already knew. In fact –

"I think I killed him." Derek's expression was odd and it took Stiles aback.

And now it was Scott's turn to echo in his mind.

"_He killed the guy, he killed his sister! He's going to kill you too Stiles"_


	4. Episode Four Magic Bullet

**A/N: You guys are in luck. I couldn't wait to finish writing this chapter, it is my favorite so far, so I couldn't wait to post it. Just to let everyone know, I can only update on days that I don't have work, but I am writing a little every day. **

**It would make me feel so much better if I had a BETA who would help me out so I don't have to go through the chapters later and I actually have time to write forward and not review backwards, so if anyone wants to volunteer to BETA this story, please message me ASAP. **

**O****ther than that, read and review, I'd love to know what you guys think and if you have any ideas about what you want to see happen further into the series please don't be afraid to tell me. I am going in the direction the story takes me.**

**Just a _warning,_ next chapter will be rated M, it starts with a little 'wet dream' so anyone who doesn't want to read that, move on. It will also change the Story's over all rating, just to let you guys know. Now, I believe that is it so, here you go. Read and enjoy and DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW, THEY MAKE ME WRITE FASTER!**

* * *

**Stiles The Teen Wolf  
Episode Four: Magic Bullet**

_Stop being stupid. Derek wouldn't…he just wouldn't. Come on Stiles, you're being an idiot. Open your mouth, ask for an explanation. Come on, do it. Just open your mouth and-_

"No."

And that was it. That was all it took. Stiles' felt his resolve strengthen, his certainty was locked in place and no matter what Derek had done, he wouldn't kill. Not someone innocent and sure as hell not someone already injured. "You didn't kill him. It wasn't your fault and it wasn't mine. Now sit down, stop looking at me like that and tell me what the hell happened."

Derek didn't respond at first, just continued to stare at him with that determined gaze, and then did sat down. Right there on the last step of the big staircase leading up to the second floor of the burnt down Hale house. And Derek told him. About how he went to see them man to get answers, about his question, about the man's answer and his apology. 'Hale. Hale, I'm sorry.' It was all weird and unfocused and choppy but Stiles was getting the hint. Derek had thought the stress of seeing a Hale had pushed the man over the edge and right through death's door.

Stiles spent most of the night reassuring Derek that he wasn't a fault, the man would have died had Derek went to see him or not, Grayson just wasn't strong enough.

And then he went home. One second of doubt, one tiny little second and he felt like he had betrayed Derek all over again.

Derek had been so broken by the thought that he had killed the man just by seeing him. So repulsed and dejected by himself that Stiles was ashamed for letting Scott's words get the best of him. _Never again. I won't doubt Derek, ever again._ It was a promise to himself and his pack mate. They needed to trust each other because really, no one else trusted them.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Danger struck again a few nights later. Neither Derek nor Stiles had been expecting it.

Ever since the attack on the bus driver, Stiles had gotten a good whiff of the Alpha's scent. He had been helping Derek track the beast when it happened. Stiles had tracked the beast and stayed behind to flank the Alpha when the Argents descended like some self-proclaimed angel of vengeance. Shots rang out and Stiles almost swallowed his own tongue when he smelled Derek's blood.

Then he heard it. _Her _voice.

"Chris, there were two of them."

"The Alpha?"

"I don't know. But one of them tried to kill me."

Stiles didn't know if this was important, but he had to stay put. If he went to look for Derek now, he would be seen too and he would be in no shape to help Derek if the Argents saw him.

"Well one of them was going to lead us to the other. He can't do that if he's dead."

"Well I can't help kill either of them if one of them kills me first."

"How long will it take?"

"I give him forty eight hours. If that."

And just with that, Stiles felt his heart hit the pool of acid in his stomach. And then they were off, leaving Stiles behind to look for Derek, but Derek was gone, the scent of his blood was everywhere as well as something that almost seemed to…numb his nose. He knew exactly what it was. Wolf's bane. But how did it get here?

He went home that night with no idea where Derek was and no way of finding him because of the damned wolf's bane that seemed to be following him around.

So you can just guess his surprise when it was Derek who found him at School the next day, by walking right in front of his car.

"Derek!" he called as he got out of his car and ran to the taller wolf's side. Apparently Scott had seen them because he was right behind Stiles.

"What is he doing here?!" Scott almost yelled, and Stiles saw Derek's eyes shifting at Scott's voice. He was actually more surprised Derek kept his teeth in check.

"Shut up Scott." Stiles yelled back before he turned to Derek, "What happened?"

"I was shot." It was such a simple answer but it made Stiles swallow bile.

"This was what she meant." He realized. "When she said you had forty eight hours, this was what she meant."

"Who?" Derek asked, his eyes going back and forth almost frantically, it was scaring Scott and personally it was scaring Stiles too.

"The person who shot you, I saw her last night with Argent."

"Allison?!" Scott's voice was high now making both werewolves cringe as they turned to him. "It wasn't Allison was it?"

Stiles shook his head but he really wasn't sure. It hadn't smelled like Allison but it was the same gene pool. "Why aren't you healing?" He asked Derek, willing the man to do just that. Derek couldn't die, he needed Derek here, helping him, and both of them protecting each other, Derek couldn't die.

"It was a different kind of bullet?" Derek answered over the sound of the horns from the cars behind Stiles' blared almost insistently.

"A silver bullet?" Scott asked tentatively, only to have Derek's glare turn to him. Scott decided to be smart and stop talking.

"No you idiot." Derek growled as his face twisted in pain. He was so pale and Stiles was pretty sure he was just as pale, his skin felt clammy and out of place and he was almost sick with worry. "You have to find the bullet."

"But how!" Stiles roared in desperation. "I can't get into an Argent's-"

"Scott." Derek breathed, trying to force his way through the pain. "Scott has a date with Allison, she's an Argent she's with them." And suddenly all eyes were back on Scott.

"What?" Scott croaked, stepping back even further. "No. I can't- No dude, I can't just-"

"Scott please." Stiles didn't care that he was begging, didn't care that his voice broke and that his eyes were filling with tears, what mattered now was getting Scott to agree, getting Scott to help him save Derek. "I can't do it, they would kill me too, but you can. Please Scott."

Scott had never seen Stiles like this. Near tears and desperate, only once did Scott remember Stiles making that expression. The day he prayed to a god he didn't even believe in to not take his mother away. The day were Scott had held him, and allowed Stiles to use his chest as a Kleenex because there was no way to save his sweet and kind mother. So Scott gave in. "O-okay."

Stiles face showed such gratitude that Scott suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Let's get him in your car." Scott said before helping Stiles lift Derek who was breathing heavily and trying to hold onto sanity.

As they left, Stiles shot one more pleading look at Scott and hoped his best friend would do this for him. Even after everything, he hoped his best friend would do this one thing just for his sake and nothing else. Whether or not it was Derek that was injured, Stiles would feel the pain at the loss of his only pack mate, and he didn't want to feel that, not ever.

So he left, hoping to god Scott would keep to his word.

"Why do you smell like blood that isn't yours?" Stiles asked because he had nothing else to say, but also because he was curious. The blood smelled familiar, like someone he knew.

"Asked a kid- where you were. He didn't want to answer, insisted I sold drugs. Got too close and my wolf snapped." Derek struggled to answer but Stiles got a gist of it.

"Alright. Anyone I know?" Now he was just curious.

"Don't know. Pretty boy, smelled like the Argent girl, perfume, and Scott. Figured he would know." And Stiles realized it could only be Jackson. Unless it was Danny, but he doubted that. Danny was too nice to assume random strangers sold drugs. Although with how Derek was looking, he wouldn't put it past anyone to assume Derek _took_ drugs.

"Hang on Derek." Stiles muttered, he felt so helpless really. So he texted Scott. Hoping from the bottom of his soul that Scott had found something. The only response he got was 'need more time.' _God damn it, my only pack mate is going to die in my freakin car and all I can freakin do is sit here and drive._ "We're almost there."

"Almost where?"

Wow he hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud, but it didn't matter. "Your house." He answered easily, and then he smelled Derek's concern.

"My house? No, you can't take me there."

Stiles was confused. "I can't take you to your own house?"

"Not while I can't protect myself." And now it made a little more sense, but now he had nowhere to take Derek. The sudden fear that filled him made his stop the car before he completely wolfed out.

"What happens if Scott doesn't find your little magic bullet?!" Stiles yelled, hating how his emotions were riding him. "Are you dying?" _God please say no_.

He almost breathed a sigh of relief when Derek shook his head. That is, until Derek spoke. "Not yet." _Not yet? What the hell does 'not yet' even freaking mean?!_ "I have a last resort."

"What do you mean?! What last resort?!" He was getting more and more frustrated, more and more desperate, he couldn't let Derek die, even if he had to go and find the damn bullet himself. He couldn't let the only member of his pack die, he didn't want to be in a pack with the psychopathic Alpha. He needed Derek.

And that's when he realized that he really honestly did. He needed Derek. Not only to help him control his wolf, Derek had become more than a teacher over the past few months he'd known him. Ever since that bite that turned him, Derek became the only person Stiles could really turn to when he needed someone. He couldn't even turn to Scott anymore. _But Derek's life is in Scott's hands._ Oh god what had he done.

When Derek pulled his sleeve up, Stiles felt like he was going to be sick all over his precious car.

"Oh god Derek please tell me you aren't dying."

"I'm not dying."

But Derek didn't sound sure and both of them could hear it.

"Just turn on the car and find somewhere else to go." Derek ordered, and stiles felt himself bristle.

"Where the hell am I supposed to go?! I can't take you home Derek, my dad is home, I can't take you to a hospital! I can't take you to your house and god knows I'm not going to drag your little werewolf ass out of this car and leave you for dead, so please. Tell me where to go because I'm out of ideas." He was being snarky, he knew and it was unfair, the guy was hurt after all, but in a way, so was Stiles. He could feel his arm ache and burn where Derek got shot. Like another Pack connection or something.

"Stiles." Derek breathed. "Start the car, or I'm going to rip your throat out. With my teeth."

Stiles didn't believe him at all, that much was clear, but it didn't matter, they couldn't stay here on the side of the road. So Stiles conceded, throwing his head away from Derek is pure frustration. He was at a complete loss of what to do.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

'Derek's not looking so good.'

Stiles felt like he was about to die it had been hours since he had heard from Scott, hours since Derek had spoken. It almost looked as if Derek was asleep, if not for the smell of death and decay that was now seeping from the passenger's seat.

'Call me!'

Every text he sent had been ignored and they were now just hanging out on the side of the road again in the dead of night with no place to go. Stiles wanted to cry but he forced it all down. He couldn't do this, the pain in his own arm was getting worse and he was sure that so was Derek's. He regretted putting his trust on Scott, regretting giving his best friend the power to destroy his pack. He even went so far as to regret ever meeting Scott, but he felt bad the second he thought it.

This wasn't Scott's fault. He knew that, but his mind was impossible to subdue.

He almost jumped out of his skin when his phone started to ring, the caller ID letting him know that it was Scott.

"Did you find it?" They were the first words out of his mouth, he couldn't help it. The answer left him feeling worse though.

"Not yet."

Stiles wanted to scream but the only thing he did was clench his fist so hard he felt his claws dig into his palms almost piercing to the other side.

"I have nowhere to take him Scott." He sounded so weak and worn out and tired, and Scott picked up on it. "He's dying. He smells like death. I don't know what to do. Please man, you have to hurry."

"Okay." He heard Scott sigh on the other end of the line and he did the same until his friend spoke again. "Okay, take him to the animal clinic."

That actually helped bring some of Stiles back from despair as he shook his head in confusion. He knew Derek was awake now but it didn't matter.

"What about your boss?" Stiles asked, but suddenly he felt okay. Whether or not Deaton was there, he could get in either way. At least now they had an idea about where to go.

"He's probably gone by now. There's a spare key in a box behind the dumpster."

Stiles sighed so deep he felt a piece of his soul go with it.

"You won't believe where he wants me to take you." Stiles told Derek as he passed the phone over.

"Did you find it?" He heard Derek's voice waver and it made his gut tighten up to the point of pain.

"How am I supposed to find one bullet? They have a million! This house is like the freakin Wal-Mart of guns!" Stiles heard Scott's voice loud and clear even if he didn't have the phone. He noted how Scott's voice was harsher and more frustrated than it had been talking to Stiles. _Scott seriously doesn't like Derek._ Stiles laid his head on the steering wheel in exhaustion. He was almost to the point of just accepting that Derek was going to die. Almost.

"Look, if you don't find it, then I'm dead. Alright?" The way Derek said it, it made tears slip from Stiles' eyes. Unwarranted, unwanted, and so unappropriated, but he couldn't help it. It was true then, Derek's life really was in the hands of someone who hated him.

"I'm starting to think that wouldn't be such a bad thing." Scott's voice was so irritated and Stiles felt his heart breaking. Scott was going to do it again, betray him. He was going to let Derek die, Scott was going to take the only pack member he had and leave him all alone. How was this fair?

"Then think about this. The Alpha called Stiles out against his will. Next time, he'll either kill with him, or he will get killed. So if he wants to stay alive, he needs me. I don't think you want to see your best friend die or become a monster. Find the bullet."

Stiles listened as Derek ended the call. He couldn't bring himself to pick his head up off the steering wheel, he couldn't bring himself to look at Derek. Not that Derek gave him a choice.

"Stiles?" Derek's voice was careful, something it hadn't been when talking to Scott. When Stiles didn't answer, he laid a hand on the back of Stiles' neck, using the grip to turn his face towards Derek. "He's going to find the bullet. I am going to be okay."

"You say that, but we both know it's not for sure. Scott hates you, he doesn't trust you, and we are just sitting here waiting for your time to be up trusting Scott with your life. What if he lets you die Derek?" Stiles knew he sounded broken. This was like losing his mother all over again. Letting go of family, losing his heart or a limb. He felt it now and it was only Derek. _God I never want to feel what Derek felt when he lost his whole pack. This shit is bad enough._

"We are trusting Scott because he cares about you." Saying that, Derek sounded so sure, but Stiles wasn't. Not since Allison. But Derek didn't give him time to argue. "No matter what goes on between you two, you guys are brothers. Brothers fight and make mistakes but he wouldn't want to see you dead or hurt. Come on pup, start the car." And there was that nickname again. 'pup'. Like he was a dog. Why did that stupid, idiotic nickname suddenly give him comfort? He was acting so weird since he realized Derek was dying but he didn't know why, didn't know what to do anymore.

So he did as he was told. He started the car and drove to the clinic.

They finally got a bit of good news when they got there, Scott had found the bullet. A rare kind of Wolf's bane had hit Derek's system when he was shot by one of the Argents. Derek needed the bullet, otherwise Derek wouldn't survive much longer.

When Stiles told Scott this, Scott said he'd be right over, but the hope that suddenly overtook Stiles' heart made the time tick so much slower.

He led Derek into the back of the clinic and helped the man take off his shirt. The veins in Derek's injured arm were black and Stiles actually felt like he would just throw up. Not to mention the smell that was coming off of Derek. In fact, he could hardly smell anything _Derek_ anymore at all. It was all blood and wolf's bane and death, the last of which was the worst in Stiles' opinion.

"If the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me."

And Stiles' heart shrank to about the size of a peanut in his chest. "P-positivity just isn't in your vocabulary is it?" Stiles asked a bit sarcastically. If he was going to lose control of his mouth, he figured sarcasm was the way to go, if not, it would be his lunch coming out, not words.

"If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time-" Derek pushed himself away from the exam table and went to search through Deaton's drawers, his hands stumbling and clumsy, Stiles had never seen Derek like this before and it was so unnerving. "Last resort."

Stiles had to take a deep breath before he asked. He had a feeling he really didn't want to know. "Which is?"

His feelings were proven oh so very correct when Derek pulled out a freaking bone saw!

He turned to face Stiles, his face stone cold sober. "You're going to cut off my arm."

Stiles honestly just didn't know what to say. Just the thought made his queasy, not adding in the fact that this was Derek! He picked up the saw that Derek had laid on the table and when it whirled to life in his hands he had to put it down. "oh my god." _I can't do this. I so cannot do this. Derek isn't really going to make me do this, please god there has to be another way, not this. Please sweet holy Jesus lord not this._

Stiles watched as Derek tied the elastic band that cut off the blood flow to the shot arm with teeth and an unsteady right hand before he got frustrated and decided to do it for Derek, even though he was pretty sure he couldn't do this.

"What if you bleed to death?" He tried to argue, but his argument was shot down.

"It'll heal if it works."

"Look…" He started, pretty sure Derek wouldn't accept his protest or his reason but needing them to be heard. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Why not?" Derek growled at him, his eyes flashing blue and Stiles stomach sank to its knees.

"Well, because of the cutting through the flesh, the sawing through the bone, and especially the blood." Okay, there was more to it than that, but those sounded like the safe and clean cut –pardon the pun- reasons. _There's also the fact that I don't want to hurt you, I don't want you to lose your limb, I don't want to be responsible for your pain._

"You faint at the sight of a little blood." Derek rolled his eyes like he was some kind of really stupid child afraid of his own reflection. It sort of pissed Stiles off.

"No." He argued. "But I might at the sight of a chopped off _arm!_"

Derek sighed and Stiles thought he had gotten some sense through, but obviously he hadn't.

"Okay, how about this, either you cut off my arm, or I die. I really didn't think you wanted me to die Stiles."

_Whoa dude! Low blow._ And it was. That wasn't even below the belt, it was even lower. That was like getting an arrow to the knee.

"You can't even say that! You really think I want you to-" his argument was cut off when Derek grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged Stiles face close to his almost violently. Derek almost never handled Stiles this way, not since they became pack mates. Suddenly Stiles knew how scared Derek really was. The scent of death and poison had masked it, but now, this close it was clear. Derek was afraid to die. "Okay. Okay. Alright. Sold, totally, I'll do it." Stiles conceded, not at all happy with this. But he was afraid of Derek dying just as much as Derek seemed to be.

Derek started to choke and Stiles was startled when Derek leaned on the side of the table and threw up black liquid, there was such a strong smell of poison that Stiles almost gagged himself. "Holy god what the hell is _that?_" god he wanted to cry. He wanted to just break down in tears then and there.

"My body." Derek gasped, not rising from the side of the table. "Is trying to heal itself."

"Well, it's not doing a very good job of it."

"Now Stiles." Derek said, raising his eyes to meet Stiles as his arm extended out on to table. "You have to do it now." Stiles saw everything Derek wasn't saying in his eyes. He saw the fear there so clearly that it marked him, deep in his heart he knew he would never get that look out of his memories every again. Derek was terrified. Well so was Stiles.

"Look, honestly, I don't think I can."

"Just DO IT!" The yell was an order, a command that Stiles couldn't deny. He found the bone saw in his hands before he realized he'd reached for it. Oh god no, he didn't want to do this. Please no no no no. Not this.

"Oh my god." He was panicking, his heart was like fireworks in his chest, exploding and burning and not in a good way at all. He was going to throw up. When he held the saw up to Derek's arm, he really started to let the inner freak out show. Oh god he was going to do it, he was going to cut Derek arm-

"Stiles!"

The voice broke through the panic and Stiles felt his heart jump in barely contained hope. Scott? Oh please god let it be Scott.

"Scott?"

And then there he was. His best friend was right there at the door, brown eyes wide when he looked to Stiles' hands wrapped around the electric bone saw held against Derek's arm.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

The sigh of relief nearly left him boneless as he dropped the saw like it had burned him. "Oh you just prevented a life time of nightmares." Stiles could breath now, his heart was calming down and his pale face was gaining color again, but it wasn't over yet.

"Did you get it?" Derek's voice brought Stiles attention back to the larger, almost dead werewolf, and he finally felt himself relax. Derek was going to be okay. Derek was going to live.

Apparently, he'd thought too soon.

When Scott handed the bullet to Derek, Stiles saw the second Derek's eyes wavered and the lights went out. When Derek dropped to the floor, the bullet went flying.

Scott went after the bullet just as Stiles went after Derek.

"Derek?" Oh god not yet. Please please please not yet. "Derek! Come on." Stiles laid a hand on Derek's face, the cold sweaty skin making his eyes sting with tears. He'd never begged or cursed god so much in his life. That thought almost made him want to laugh but the situation was so not right for laughter. "Derek, come on man, wake up. Please Derek. Don't die. Scott what the hell are we going to do?!" He called his friend and saw that Scott was reaching under one of tables. "Scott he's not waking up! I think he's dying. Scott I think he's dead!"

"Just hold on!" His friend called back. Stiles could hear the groans as Scott struggled to reach the bullet, and Stiles decided to focus on Derek.

"I'm so sorry for this." He whispered as started to slap a little harder. When it didn't work, he balled up his fist. "Please don't kill me for this." He said and he punched Derek square in the jaw. He heard his bones crack and cringed as his hand began to heal itself in seconds. When he looked at Derek, he saw that the bigger wolf was awake.

"I got it!" Scott yelled as he brought the bullet back to Derek.

Stiles helped Derek to his feet and watched as Derek used his teeth to pull the bullet open. Emptying the powder inside on the exam table before pulling out a lighter and setting it on fire. It sparked to life for a minute before it calmed and Derek gathered the ashes.

_Oh god he's not going to_-

But he was. With a deep breath, Derek brought the burned out powder to his arm, using his finger to stuff in inside the bullet wound. His scream was guttural and went straight to Stiles' heart. Derek would never scream unless the pain was really too much, and he wasn't just screaming, he was growling.

Derek pushed past Stiles and dropped to the floor, withering there in pure agony as he screamed and growled. Stiles had to put an arm out to stop Scott from getting close as Derek struggled to heal. Right before their eyes the black veins receded and the bullet hole closed.

"That…was…AWESOME!" Stiles called. Getting a very concerned very surprised look from Scott. But he couldn't help it. He was so relieved, so happy that he felt almost boneless. It took a lot of strength just to keep from falling on the floor with Derek and just staying there. He was so tried it wasn't even funny, but it had been awesome. Nothing had never happened in his life like that, not before or after the bite. "Yes!"

What really surprised everyone was that Scott was showing more concern for Derek than Stiles was. He even asked if Derek was okay.

"Except for the agonizing pain?" Derek asked, his voice a little edgy. Now that Derek was okay, Stiles really couldn't help his mouth as it opened.

"I'm guessing the ability to use sarcasm is a good sign of health." He was being an ass, hell he was probably being very very insensitive, but he couldn't help it. Derek was alright. Derek would be okay, and that was all Stiles cared about. Until Scott spoke and ruined everything.

"Alright, there. We saved your life which means you're going to leave us alone." Stiles almost swallowed his tongue in his surprise. "You got that? And if you don't, I'm gonna go back to Allison's dad and I'm going to tell him everything-" Derek cut Scott of before Stiles could.

"You're going to trust them? What, you think they can help Stiles?"

"Why not?" Scott yelled. "They're all freakin' nicer than you are."

Stiles was about ready to explode and Scott. This wasn't his friends business, this wasn't Scott's secret to tell anyone. He had no right to threaten Derek, having just saved his life or not. Stiles had thought that Scott had done it for him, but he was wrong. He'd wanted something to hold over Derek's head so Derek would leave. So Derek would walk out of Stiles' life and leave him alone.

"Scott, shut up! It's not your place to-" but even he was interrupted by Derek's disbelieving calm.

"Yeah, I can show you exactly how nice they are."

That night, Stiles and Scott learned about Derek's uncle Peter Hale. The only survivor from inside the Hale House Fire. Derek went as far as to bring both Scott and Stiles in to meet the man who was more or less, a vegetable.

Eleven people trapped inside and Peter had been the only one to get out alive, but not whole. The Argents were the only ones who knew what they were. There had been humans in the house, not just werewolves, but the Argents burnt down everyone with no mercy. It's what they did, what Allison would someday do.

Scott kept shaking his head, denying it, refusing to believe even when the proof was right in front of him. In the burn marks that covered the whole right side of this mindless man's face.

But Stiles believed. Stiles had Derek's heart to listen to, had Derek's emotions to read, the pain and helplessness that he was sure Derek had felt that day when him and his sister were called to identify the remains of what was left of his family, his pack.

He couldn't help it, he wrapped his hand around Derek's wrist. Feeling warmth clench his gut and his chest when Derek didn't pull away from the slight touch.

When he nurse came in an ushered them out, Scott didn't go with them, but that was fine. Derek needed to drive Stiles back to his jeep anyways.

"So that's what happened." Stiles said, more to himself then to Derek who sat quietly in the driver's seat. "For years my dad went searching for a reason for that fire, for anyone who might have done it, and all this time it had just been out of hate. One family that hated another."

"Not a family. One species' that hated another. They didn't even consider us humans. There were children in that house Stiles. My little sister, my cousins. There were humans who weren't born wolves and newly turned wolves learning control. And they didn't consider anyone of us human." Derek sounded so bitter that Stiles couldn't have stopped himself if he wanted to. He reached for Derek's hand on the gear shift and touched the top of it tentative but needing the contact, needing to show his pack mate comfort for his losses.

They didn't speak as Derek turned his hand over, intertwining his fingers with Stiles'.

He had never pictured holding hands with Derek. Yet now he couldn't picture holding anyone else's. Derek's hand was strong, the grip sure but not crushing. The way their fingers twined together and held there, it was perfect. It felt like coming home, like a comfortable weight had settled into his chest and he was okay with it there.

He knew he would freak out about it later, hell, he was sure he was freaking out now, but one thing kept it from showing. Derek's pain filled face as he drove.

It was so close to the fear he had seen as he held the bone saw against Derek's arm. So close but not quite. After losing so much in his life, Derek still wanted to live, feared death even though it would bring him together with his pack once more. Stiles could swear he almost felt like his heart was breaking. He didn't want Derek to be alone, didn't want the wolf to ever _feel _alone. He wanted to be there for Derek, wanted to be Derek's strength, his crutch when need be. For the life of him, Stiles couldn't clearly explain why, but he wanted to be the plaster that put Derek's heart back together, and all of those thoughts, all of these wants, they all scared him shit less.

"I'm just gonna…" He mumbled as they stopped on front of the animal clinic where his jeep was still parked. His hand was still in Derek's and he was fighting with himself on whether to pull away or to just stay.

"Yeah." Derek said, his voice unreadable.

Stiles was the first to let go and slide his hand away, opening the door of the car as he went. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Derek nodded in answer.

When Stiles shut the car door and then watched as Derek peeled out of the parking lot, he felt the hollow feeling that always follow a 'moment' with Derek returning to its place in his chest. He knew what this was, it wasn't the first time he'd felt this. It was though, the first time he'd felt it for another man.

"I'm going insane." Stiles breathed as he brought his arms up and behind his head, stretching there for a moment and kicking the gravel on the ground. He didn't even know why he was lingering, Derek was gone, but he didn't want to get into his Jeep just yet. He didn't want to let that small moment in the car go just yet. "Oh yeah, I really am going out of my mind."

Frustrated with himself he growled as he pulled the driver's door open and climbed into his jeep. When had he stopped having feelings for Lydia? Better question would be, when had he started having those feelings for Derek? Not that he was opposed to being gay, he always appreciated any attractive body after all male or female, and he'd had quite a few dreams about orgies whether or not he even wanted to actually participate in one – the answer of which was no by the way if anyone was wonder – but he had never actually thought about another man like that. Until now of course.

Curiously he looked at his left hand. The hand that had been intertwined with Derek's right. It was still warm and if he focused he could still feel Derek's palm against his.

Was he actually crushing on Derek?

What did he even really know about Derek? The guy lost his family six years ago, lost his sister not a few months ago, and he'd been helping Stiles out since his sister was found dead.

He also knew that Derek was a protector. Countless times Derek had proven that he actually cared for Stiles, even when Stiles went off and told his secrets to Scott who then promptly sold Derek out. He knows Derek is lonely. He'd become so good at reading Derek's silences that it was unreal, they'd spent quite a bit of time in the woods sparing and playing that dumb game that Stiles had started as a way of strengthening his sense. Thing is, Derek played along. It wasn't only about the game, anything Stiles did, Derek played along. He could joke with Derek just like he could joke with Scott, but Derek's sense of humor was darker, and dryer than Scott's and Derek always managed to get him in peals of laughter so belly deep it left his stomach with a pleasant ache by the time it was too late and he had to run home before his dad's shift was over.

Besides all of that, Derek had been there for him when Scott had not. But did that warrant enough connection for this kind of emotional attachment?

Stiles took a moment to think about Lydia Martin. He had known her for years, since second grade, and he'd been infatuated with her, but how much did he really know about her?

She was smart. Way smarter than she _acted_ but she never showed anyone, especially not Jackson. And she was so shallow, giving herself to a boy who was dense and stupid, not to mention a total dick. She wasn't the nicest person either, Stiles knew that from experience, so why? Why had he been so enamored with her?

_She was pretty. Mysterious, there was always more to her that I wanted to get to know._ But that _that_ warrant enough connection for emotional attachment? He guessed not, not any more than his connection with Derek. As it stood, he probably knew more about Derek than he did about Lydia.

And suddenly, just like that, Stiles felt better.

He could have feelings for Derek, it wasn't like he was ever going to tell his pack mate anything. Just like he had done with Lydia, he could admire from afar, it was such a usual thing for him that he figured it wouldn't matter. It was okay to like Derek.

_Yeah. It's completely okay to love Derek Hale._


	5. Episode Five The Tell

_**A/N: Okay my loyal readers. This chapter had bumped up the Rating of the fic to M. This chapter has man on man (Dream) action and a sneak peek into Derek's POV due to my Best Friend "PlainKate" being so helpful in giving feedback and motivating me to finish this chapter. I don't have work for the next couple of days so things will be updated periodically this week. :) I hope you guys enjoy the Epic amount of STERK in this chapter.**_

* * *

**Stiles The Teen Wolf  
****Episode Five: The Tell**

The dreams started that night. The night he admitted his own feelings for Derek to himself. _What is it exactly that gives 'knowledge' power?_

At first, it wasn't too bad. Derek's face etched with concern and fondness, the smile crinkling his eyes and actually showing his teeth, hands holding onto his own and soft lips against his. Stiles didn't have a problem with those dreams, in fact, he woke up from them feeling up beat and strongly optimistic.

Of course, those small and innocent dreams didn't last very long. He was a healthy teenage werewolf after all, innocent was hardly a word used to describe either a teenager or a werewolf.

_A strong and sure hand gripped his hip, the pressure just enough to feel restraining but not painful as pin prickly stubble followed the trail of a wet and warm tongue up his abs slowly. Stiles struggled with the instinct to pull away. He was ticklish after all, but he didn't want to pull away, he wanted to be closer, wanted to plaster himself chest to chest with the hard mass of muscle that held him forcefully on his back._

_Lips kissed their way up his chest, taking the time to lick and bite each hard little nipple once before making a steady rise to his neck. Teeth grazed his flesh, right where his neck and shoulder met and Stiles couldn't hold down the breathless groan that forced its way out of his mouth. The hand on his hip tightened for a moment only to loosen and tighten again, claws raking his skin as little shockwaves forced their way through his already leaking erection pressed firmly against the planes of a well-defined six pack. There was an answering stiffness held still right against his vulnerable entrance, the ring of muscle twitching in time with the throbbing of the head at every beat of Derek's rapid heart. It wasn't intrusive, Derek was waiting for something, waiting for him to be okay with it. Still, it was enough to drag a grunting growl from the chest pressed to his. He felt the vibrations in pleasant waves and he needed more of that sound, needed to make this man feel just as good as he was._

_He pressed himself against the slick flesh of Derek's cock. _

_He wasn't dense, he read about and watched enough porn to know that this part of sex (gay and virginal) was supposed to be painful, but he didn't feel the pain as Derek breeched the ring of muscle, sinking slowly into Stiles' body. The arousal was overwriting his brain, his systems were focused on one thing and one thing alone – getting closer._

"_D-Derek!" Stiles cried out, his eyes closed tightly as he tried to regain his composure. The only answer he received was a kiss to the side of his neck, such a gentle gesture that it made this whole act that much more intimate. The kiss didn't stop at one, Derek kept kissing his neck as each hot and wide inch dug almost forcefully into his body. _

_Stiles could feel the stretch as his body accepted Derek's into it. It was torture, how slow Derek was being, how careful. Stiles wanted to scream, '_go faster, harder, please Derek please let go, let the wolf go',_ but his mouth wouldn't form the words in his mind. The only thing he heard coming out of himself were whimpers, moans and Derek's name. _

"_Please!" _

_Wow, that was a new word; and apparently, it was the right one._

_Derek's hips jerked forward, almost as if it was involuntary, and Stiles screamed. His vision went white as he felt the radiating pleasure. It started in that one spot inside himself and washed like a wave over the rest of him. Derek found it, that sweet spot inside him. And that's when the control was gone. His and Derek's._

_Another sharp thrust and Stiles howled, the sound so animal that he startled himself, but Derek only echoed the call._

_His arms were around Derek's shoulders and Derek held him right back, the weight of the bigger wolf settling on him almost uncomfortable but the pleasure pushed that thought away. He could take Derek's weight if the wolf just kept moving like that, just like that._

_His own need pressed eagerly against their stomachs, the friction it gave was overwhelming whatever part of his mind had managed to resist the thought that Derek was claiming him. Derek was taking him, claiming a mate._

"_Derek!" Geez, it was the only thing he could say when there was so much in his mind, but it didn't matter. Derek heard it, the plea in his voice. _

_There wasn't even any warning before a sharp sting on his shoulder alerted Stiles that Derek had bitten him. The mating bite, the claiming bite, a wolf's ultimate sign of submission. He couldn't have held it in if he'd tried._

"_Der_ek!"

Sweat covered his skin and his sheets but Stiles didn't care. He was tried to breathe through his hazy mind. His excitement, confusion, and strange disappointment engulfed his senses and he was almost reeling with it. The scent of his seed soaking his boxers didn't go unnoticed and neither did the scent of blood. His blood.

Glancing at his arms, his torso and then his legs he didn't find any wound, but when he moved his left shoulder, he felt it.

He stood from bed, ignoring the sudden shiver of revulsion as the evidence of his dreams started a straight path down his thigh. He made his way quietly to the bathroom across the hall, grabbing his towel as he went.

The mirror showed him what he couldn't see on his own. There were marks on his shoulder, the meaty part. Almost where his neck and shoulder met, that smooth chunk of muscle was now red and raw, and had five deep punctures Stiles knew had to be from claws. His own claws. And just to be sure, he looked at his right hand. His nails were bloody, the red liquid getting darker by the second as it dried under his nails.

"Oh my god, that did not just happen." He breathed before he released an amused snort at himself. The laugh came next, a genuine quiet one that sounded rather sad.

Stiles met his own eyes, the glow of the yellow wolf eyes making him want to look away, but he didn't.

"You are so screwed…" He whispered to his reflection before stepping back and turning the shower on. It was going to be a very long day.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

He was right.

Of course he was right. Who was he kidding? Stiles hadn't had a calm and relaxing day_ once _since he was turned, why did he expect that to change anytime soon?

It started off as a normal patrol with his dad. He hadn't honestly spent time with the man in so long that when the Sheriff had asked his son if he wanted to join tonight, Stiles didn't hesitate. Fast food was only a slight bonus.

"Did they forget my curly fries?" the Sheriff asked through a mouthful of burger. Stiles wanted to roll his eyes but he refrained, just barely. He had to text Derek soon, let the other wolf know where he was. That was how they had been communicating recently. Ever since his revelation, it was just slightly awkward for him to be around the object of his affection, whether or not Derek know his feelings.

"You're not supposed to eat fries. Especially the curly ones." Stiles argued back. He was looking for the fries though, curly fries were his favorite too.

"Well, I'm carrying a lethal weapon. If I want the curly fries. I will have the curly fries." Sheriff John shot back confidently, but Stiles heard it. The stutter of his heart. It wasn't really a big deal, but to Stiles it was everything. It was his job now after all, to keep his dad healthy.

"If you think that getting rid of the contractions in all your sentences makes your argument any more legitimist. You. Are. Wrong." Okay so he was just slightly 'bitchy'. It wasn't his fault he wasn't getting enough sleep lately. (And the full moon, less than a week away, really scratched at his control) but he had been fine with keeping himself human so far.

And that's when the murder was reported.

A video store. The Alpha had gone after the clerk and Jackson. Lydia had been in the car waiting for her boyfriend when she'd spotted the glowing red eyes. That was Stiles' guess though, not that he would tell the police any of it. Still, the Alpha had killed the clerk but not Jackson.

"We're predators Stiles. We don't have to be killers. There had to be a goal here. Not even animals hunt for sport." Derek's voice brought him back from his own mind.

Stiles rolled his eyes as they pushed the door to the Hale house open. "Yeah I know, they hunt for necessity." He repeated like he had heard it a million times. He hadn't, but it was a basic concept. "By the way, we should do something about this house man. Rebuild it, renovate it, something. I'm starting to feel the doom and gloom forcing its way into my life too."

Derek snorted before he turned to face Stiles. "Not everything's a joke Stiles. The Alpha's not going to stop. In less than a week, either you kill with him or he kills you."

Stiles furrowed his brows and stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. He'd taken to doing this when the need to reach out and touch Derek arouse. His insides turned before settling. He was good at ignoring his feelings and besides, this was serious. They had to figure something out.

"Who made up these rules anyways?" Stiles asked, more curious than anything. It couldn't be wolf instinct alone could it?

"It's a rite of passage into a pack." Derek answered. "You know that."

Stiles nodded. "Like in human society." The raised eyebrow he got in reply made him smile. "You know, like graduating from high school. Getting your license and things like that."

Derek nodded. "Yeah, like those things. Except you don't have to kill anyone to do them."

Stiles shuffled his feet, having run out of things to say.

_Strong arms wrapped around his waist and dragged him forward. A hot mouth pressed against his neck, sniffing and licking until it decided on a spot. Sharp teeth grazed the area before they clamped down, the skin offering little resistance as Stiles struggled to contain his moan._

"So-" his voice was higher than he was proud to admit, but he plowed on before Derek could comment. "Why can't we sniff him out when he's a human? We only go after him when he's a wolf, does his scent really change like that?"

Derek looked mildly impressed before he nodded and smirked. "Alphas especially have radically different scents sometimes. The human and animal part are two different halves of the same person, but it really just depends on the person. You for example, doesn't smell much different as a wolf and a human."

Stiles snorted. "You don't either you know. The wet dog smell follows you everywhere."

When Derek glared and rolled his eyes, Stiles couldn't help laughing.

"Can we get back on topic please? You're a wolf now, your ADD should be gone." Derek didn't sound as mad as he ought to be, and that realization made Stiles grin to himself.

"Yeah yeah, go on then. How do you purpose we find him?"

"You."

Stiles frowned before turning around and taking a seat on the bottom step of the decrepit staircase in the Hale house. "What do you mean by 'me'?"

"You have a connection to him. A link you can't understand. We have to work on controlling your powers. Once you have control, you can find him." Derek answered, taking a seat as well one step up from Stiles'.

"But I have pretty good control. You said so yourself, no one has ever taken to the bite as fast before." Stiles remembered the day vividly, he had been particularly proud when Derek had praised him like that.

"True, but we had been working on the physical so you could be able to retain your humanity during the shift on the full moon and keep from harming people when he called for you. Now, we are going to be expanding your sense. Internal more so than external. We need the pack bond to search him out, otherwise we won't ever find him."

Stiles bobbed his head in understanding before he stood. "Come on then. Dad's on this new Video Store murder case so I'm safe for the night. Not like I'm going to get any sleep anyways, so why don't we start now?"

Derek smirked a bit before holding his hand out. Stiles grabbed it and pulled the older wolf up. Not that Derek needed help, Stiles knew, but it was a gesture; Camaraderie. Stiles would take it. Even if he wanted so much more.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Training hadn't been as fun this time around as the physical portion had been earlier. Still, Stiles had spent the time with Derek, the older wolf walking them through certain aspects of a pack bond as Stiles tried to locate the pull to his will, his heart almost.

It was frustrating how dull that pull really was and sooner rather than later, the training was done. Stiles holding his head as he felt the edges of a migraine setting in.

"He's trying to stay hidden. It won't be easy for us to sense him, but you will find him ever when he doesn't want to be found. There are a lot of bonds inside of wolf, the bond to a human form and an animal form being the strongest. Then there is our bonds to the moon, to pack members and families. We run on instinct and feelings, and that's what we are going to use to find the Alpha." Derek had explained after Stiles complained again how much easier the physical training had been compared to this. Hell, even their friendly game of 'I Spy' was fun, this was just torture. Keeping his wolf right there on the edge of his control so that he would connect to ever bond he had, it was surprising he hadn't shifted and ran out the door. But he was too good for that. Better than most in the control department.

"Even born wolves have more trouble than you seem to have now, and you are only a couple of months old. You're doing really good pup." Derek's praise and the smile he'd received made his stomach turn like cake batter. It felt so nice to be good at something. It almost felt at times like he was made to be a wolf, he was born to take the bite. Even if he hadn't asked for it.

So it was no surprise that Stiles was in a very unusual mood when he got to school the next day.

Scott had refused to talk about werewolves, or hunters, or Derek, and Stiles had agreed. Now though, he knew his best friend had left school with Allison. Stiles heard them talk, heard the car turn on and drive away and he left them to it. After all, hunter or not, it was Allison's birthday and Stiles could allow his friend some room.

Only, Scott had about the worst timing in the world.

"Has anyone seen Scott McCall?"

Of course that question would be directed at Stiles. They were best friends after all, it's no surprise really. So Stiles shook his head, the cap of the highlighter he'd been using still in his mouth

And then Jackson Whittemore walked in. Stiles could smell something off about the other boy, but he couldn't identify why. Jackson smelt of fear and confusion and anger, his heart rate was really rather high and he was pale, eyes sunken and hands shaking. Stiles already knew what the boy had seen in the Video Store but now he could ask all the questions that'd been rowing circles around in his head.

And then Harrison opened his freaking mouth.

"Stillinski, you might want to try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. This is chemistry, not a coloring book." And Stiles could feel the wolf bristle.

He spit the cap out of his mouth toward the ceiling, catching it in his hand when it fell back down. Then he noticed who was in the seat in front of him.

Danny. Jackson's best friend.

He leaned forward, speaking softly so Harrison wouldn't feel the need to interrupt. "Hey Danny, can I ask you a question?"

"No."

The blunt answer was a little shocking as well as just a little bit hurtful, but he carried on anyways. It was important after all.

"Well I'm going to anyways. Um, did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?"

He heard the sigh, and listened close to Danny's heartbeat. There was no stutter when he answered. "No."

"Can I ask you another question?" Okay, so he was sort of pushing it, but still, this was all just as important.

"Answer's still no."

This time, Stiles ignored it. "Does anyone know what happened to her and Jackson last night?"

"He wouldn't…tell me."

Stiles heard it loud and clear, the hurt in Danny's voice.

"But he's your best friend."

And that's when Danny's scent changed. Oh shit. _Oh my god, Danny's crushing on Jackson!_ It was such a revelation that Stiles didn't really know what to do with it, so he decided to put it out of him mind. The only way he knew what to do that was to think about Derek. And with that though:

"One more question."

The irritation colored Danny's tone. "What?!"

"Do you find me attractive?"

Now Danny's scent was screaming confusion, but also something else, something Stiles didn't recognize. He leaned forward more, trying to get a clear whiff of the scent so he could distinguish it. Stiles didn't noticed when he'd leaned too far until he was falling out of his seat, flailing to get himself righted and back on his bench.

Okay, bad idea. He got back in his seat and played it off, tossing everyone who stared at him a sharp glare. He was spending too much time with Derek because the glares worked and everyone looked away.

It was two classes later that Stiles noticed the familiar scent of Derek gracing the hallways. Not that Stiles was going to go looking for Derek. That would be stupid and stalker-ish. Chances were, if Derek was here, the wolf was here for him anyways, right? Yeah right. So Stiles went to his next class without following the path the strong and heady smell made.

Instead he texted Scott. And he texted Scott. And he texted Scott in ALL CAPS! So, he called Scott.

"What?" Scott's voice was low and angry and Stiles knew why, he could hear Allison's breathing, the hum of the engine, and the crunch of gravel. But he ignored all of it.

"Finally, did you get my texts?"

"Yeah, like, all nine million of them."

"Do you have any idea what's going on? Lydia is totally MIA, Jackson looks like he's got a time bomb inserted into his face! Another random guy is dead and you have to help me do something about it!"

"Like what?"

"Something!" Stiles could practically feel Scott's disdain for the situation. "Look, I know we agreed to just not talk about it, but I can't keep doing nothing while people keep dying and me and Derek can't do it alone…Scotty we're going to need some help."

"O-okay. I'll deal with it later…"

And then Scott hung up. Just like that. _'I'll deal with it later.'_

Stiles couldn't hold back the stab of anger at his friend. People were dying left and right and still all Scott cared about was Allison freaking Argent.

"Stiles."

Derek's voice washed over him like a water fall, crashing down on his senses and helping him regain the wolf. "Stiles, you're growling. Calm down." He was trying, honestly he was trying.

And then Derek's warm and strong hand was on the back of his neck and the scent of the other wolf was filling his nose. Derek's shoulder against his forehead, having been pulled there so that his face is hidden from the rest of the crowded hallway.

Slowly, he was able to calm down. The anger still aching in his chest for a best friend who could care less about him. Ever since this whole werewolf thing. Ever since Allison Argent, their relationship has been strained. Different. Distant.

"I'm losing my best friend." He whispered into Derek's leather jacket.

"Hey pup, if he doesn't want to be here, we don't need him. You don't need him. You got me, remember? We're pack. I won't leave you alone." Derek whispered back, his head bowed a little so his nose was right against Stiles' temple.

Stiles didn't feel the anger anymore. The warmth was something else entirely and he would take this over that any day.

"Really?" God his voice sounded so weak, but Derek didn't bring that up.

"Really Stiles. You're the only pack I have left, so I have nowhere else to go."

With a grin he pulled back from Derek, the hand on his neck falling away. He let his eyes flash gold and he saw Derek's answering blue. A long deep breath calmed the rest of him before he opened his eyes and decided to share what information he had with Derek.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

It was actually the bigger wolf's suggestion that he go visit Lydia. Whatever she saw, it must have truly frightened her is she skipped out on school. Anything she could tell us would help, so Stiles agreed.

And it worked. Not that Lydia could talk at all, doped up on all the drugs she took for her nerves, but her phone was a different story. A video of the Alpha. Lydia had managed to take a video of the Alpha's escape without even realizing what she had done. If the police had found it…Stiles didn't even want to think about the possibility. So he called Derek.

Who, didn't pick up.

So he called again, and again, and again, and now even Derek was ignoring him.

"Hey…it's me again. Look, I found something and I don't know what to do. Okay? So if you could turn your phone on right now, that's be great. Or else, I'll kill you. Do you understand me? I'm gonna kill you. And I'm too upset right now to come up with a witty discretion of how I'm going to kill you, so I'm just gonna do it, okay? I gonna…ugh! Goodbye."

He tossed his phone on the bed, it bounced there twice before falling on the ground and Stiles growled for a minute, stewing in his own anger. Derek said he would leave Stiles alone. He promised it, but now Stiles can't reach him and he's so worried something happened, but so upset that Derek had lied. No, not lied. His heartbeat had been steady, he'd meant what he said, so what could keep him from answer Stiles' phone calls?

The second he sst down, the knock on his door startled him back up.

It was his dad. He breathed out in relief before he actually heard what the man had said.

"Please tell me I'm going to hear good news at this parent teacher thing tonight."

Stiles can't really lie to save his life, so he opts for distraction. "Depends on how you define good news."

The sheriff raises an eye brow. "I define it as you getting straight A's with no behavioral issues."

"You might want to rethink that definition." Stiles admits, a guilty look crossing his face. That was all the answer the Sheriff needed.

"Enough said." He head his dad say as the man walked away. He listened for the boots descending the stairs and then for the slamming of the front door before he grabbed Lydia's phone and watched the video of the Alpha again.

"Come on Derek…where are you?"

It was supposed to be rhetorical, but when he heard his window being pulled open, it became literal.

"Derek!"

The older wolf climbed in, his face pale, his body covered in sweat and most important of all, completely shirtless.

Stiles felt the arousal increase in his brain and his heart and his pants.

_Oh my god he's like MADE of pure muscles. Oh let me touch…_ He surged forward when it looked like Derek would fall over, grabbing Derek's beefy arms to steady him. _Hard, really, incredibly, hard muscles. If he wanted to he could pin me to a wall and sex me up raw and I still wouldn't be able to fight him off._ It was true, Stiles was faster than Derek, but not stronger.

He was so turned on, it was so hard to keep his scent from showing it. So much so that he couldn't manage it.

Stiles noticed the very moment Derek got a whiff of it. The look of shock and the flash of blue eyes made him wince in pure embarrassment. _Distraction! Got to distract him._

"What happened?!" Stiles asked, ignoring his bodily reactions to Derek's body as he helped the taller body onto his bed. Derek accepted both the help, and the way out of the awkward situation.

"Hunters. Can't go back to my house." Derek breathed slowly, drawing breath in through his mouth. _Smart move_.

"You can stay here tonight. Dad's at Parent Teacher conference and I'm doing some research. No one will bother us tonight." _Geez that sounded like an invitation for sexy time!_ Not that Stiles would be opposed to sexy time with Derek…god he'd actually beg for it if – OH-KAY, not going there.

"I'm just gonna go back to the, yeah." He sat down at his desk chair and turned it back around so he was facing the computer, not that he was actually paying any attention, his sense were all focused on Derek, shirtless on his bed. HIS BED! SHIRTLESS! _Temptation you are one cruel mistress._

There was shuffling from the bed and the sound of Derek standing up, and then the scent, oh god that scent. It mirrored his own, his arousal, his attraction. And Stiles had to leave the room.

"I'm gonna go see what my dad has on file!" Stiles almost screamed as he bolted up and left the room before Derek could ever say or do anything. He'd been planning on getting the files anyway. Looking for connection between the only werewolves he knew and the people who were killed. The safest place to start would be the Hale Fire, his dad had all the files down in his office and Stiles knew where he left the spare key.

He hadn't expected Derek to follow him though, but he felt it. The presence of Derek behind him, the other wolf's footsteps soft but sure.

"Stiles." Derek called, halting his awkward shuffling steps.

"Yeah?" Stiles called back. He didn't turn around, he didn't want to see Derek's face, or Derek's body. _Okay, total lie, I want to see Derek's body._

"Is it just…lust?"

Now that was a very left field question. One Stiles wasn't sure how to answer to be honest. Did he lust for Derek? Hell yes. Was it _Just_ lust? Hell no. But if he said that, what would Derek think? He had reacted to Stiles arousal, but the smell itself was enough to affect any wolf equally, it was a husky scent that Stiles smelled often around school so he knew what the affects were. So was Derek's own arousal honest or a reaction?

"Not sure what you're talkin' about Der, but I really gotta get those files while my dad's not home, so just…yeah." He only took one step forward before Derek's heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"You're lying."

It was a statement of fact, nothing more, but it sounded so much like an accusation. Stiles knew his heart was about to explode. The pounding even echoed in his own head, blood rushing to his face and thumping in his ears. Oh god he thought he could hide it, who the hell was he kidding? The dude was a freakin werewolf. Hell, Lydia was human and she'd known, then again he wasn't the best at hiding…or lying or anything like keeping secrets.

"Stiles."

"Derek just…please just let it go." He's voice was desperate, no matter how obvious he was being, he wasn't ready for this, he couldn't handle this right now, if ever. Derek knew, Stiles knew he knew. It was so plainly presented there in his scent, in his actions, in his desperation to avoid the topic.

When Derek's hand slipped away, Stiles felt his heart sink.

He'd asked Derek to let it go, he knew it was his fault, but Derek just gave up, just like that. Obviously Derek didn't feel the same.

"I'll…I'm gonna go get the files. You can look through them with me." Without turning back, Stiles walked to his dad's office. Derek didn't follow him this time.

**~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~**

**(Okay people, this is a little gift to all of my loyal readers for taking so long to update. My best friend started reading this and she talked about how much she wanted to read Derek's point of view, so I'm giving you guys this little sneak peek into what Derek things of the situation. I hope you like it.)**

Derek swallowed down the lump in his throat as Stiles walked away. The scent of the boy's arousal lingered, but it was overwhelmed by fear and mortification now. God he was so stupid! He had the chance, right there, probably his one and ONLY freaking chance to own up to his own emotions and he just let it slip away like water.

"'Is_ it just lust?'"_ Derek mocked his own words as he turned around to head back into the younger boy's room. "What kind of stupid question was that? I should know him better than that by now!" Derek chastised himself, his steps falling heavier than usual.

Stiles wasn't like anyone Derek had ever met before. The boy had a quirky awkwardness to him that Derek found endearing, even if at first it had only been annoying. Everything at first had been about getting the boy's help to find out who killed his sister.

But now? Now it was about so much more.

When had it happened? When had his feelings changed the way they had? The clearest memory he had was about the first game they had ever played of 'I Spy'. He had been pushing Stiles, telling him that if he couldn't control the physical changes, he would kill the teen without hesitation. At the time, he'd meant it whole heartedly. That's when Stiles' eyes shifted and he huffed out a set of colors.

Derek had been so confused at first. Was this some weird version of human meditation?

"Over your shoulder man. It's blue."

Curious and slightly put out, he'd turned around and strained his own sight. It wasn't hard to find, what Stiles meant, it was the only blue item in that direction after all, but it was quite a ways away. "Your jeep, about five and a half miles out. What's your point?" When he turned back to the boy, the grin on his face was startling.

It lit up the boys eyes and lightened is features so much. Derek remembered his exact thought at that moment. _Holy shit, the boy is attractive._ And that was when the thoughts started. The game became a normal pass time and Stiles started to grow on him.

And now here he was, laying on the boy's bed without a shirt and inhaling the smell of the boy that surrounded the room.

Stiles' voice had been so…strained. A desperation there Derek didn't understand. He'd never thought Stiles would feel anything for him, the boy had feeling for that red headed girl, the one with so much perfume she smelled almost toxic. Derek could always tell when the girl had been around Stiles because the scents would cling to the younger wolf.

But why? Why would Stiles get aroused by Derek and just blow it off. And his question, why did it get such a reaction. 'Is it just lust?' He wanted to know, he wanted to be sure, wanted the words. But Stiles had begged him to drop it. Begged him to let Stiles walk away without having to explain it.

_He likes me._ At least, Derek thinks he does. There is no other explanation for the reaction. For the fear. Stiles was scared of Derek's reaction to his arousal. Or he just wasn't ready to admit to the attraction.

_Or maybe he just doesn't want anything to change._ Well, okay then. Derek could deal with that. He didn't honestly want anything to change either. His relationship with Stiles was perfect as it was right now. The connection to a person he could trust, who wasn't family, was overwhelming. He thought he'd never trust again after Kate.

Kate…she was back.

And now Derek had to wonder if he should tell Stiles. Everything. If it would help the boy with his 'investigation'. That's another thing about Stiles that he absolutely adored. The boy was smart. Far more so than anyone gave him credit for half the time. Stiles had figured out that there must be a connection between the murders or Jackson would have been killed too. And Stiles was well on his way to figuring out what that connection was.

Derek liked Stiles. But if Stiles wanted them to remain the same, just the way they were, then Derek could do it. After all, he'd been planning on doing just that from the very beginning.

"Okay, I found the files on the Hale Fire. Supposedly it was an electrical malfunction, but it also said Possible Arson. Someone set that fire on purpose."

Stiles' voice broke through his thoughts, the words sinking in next turning his bones to ice.

"Someone planned it alright." Derek growled. "The Argents."

Derek saw Stiles nod his head from the corner of his eyes. He pushed himself up until he was sitting, eyes the boy who looked much calmer now.

"Do you really want to ignore it?" The words were out before he could stop them and he literally winced at his level of tact. _Why don't you just chase the poor boy out of his own house already Derek_!

When Stiles' body stiffed almost to the point of pain, Derek sighed, read to open his mouth and let the younger wolf off the hook when Stiles finally spoke up.

"Yes. For now. Yes."

And just like that, the tension was gone and Stiles smiled at him. Those eyes warm but guarded. Derek felt a sense of loss at that. Stiles hadn't ever been guarded with him. Not since they had gotten closer. "We need to focus on this. When we find the Alpha, when everything is over. We can talk."

Derek nodded, taking the answer with a small smile of his own. He would be okay with that. As long as this wasn't over yet. Whatever this is.

When Stiles' phone rang out, they both jumped, Stiles diving for it on the floor next to the bed.

Derek peered over the edge and watched as Stiles picked it up.

"Stiles speaking."

The voice of Scott was heard on the other side and Derek had to keep himself from growling. The boy wasn't any good for anyone, much less Stiles.

"Dude, Allison's dad just shot a mountain lion and your dad got bumped by a car. We're at the school I think you should get here, like now."

Stiles glanced at Derek, eyes wide and scared and Derek could feel the protective instinct rise up within him. The need to keep Stiles safe, to keep anyone who is important to Stiles safe.

"Lets go."


	6. Episode Six Heart Monitor

**Stiles The Teen Wolf  
Episode Six: Heart Monitor**

They'd arrived too late that night. By the time they made it to the school's parking lot, most of the people were gone, one of them being his dad. Scott was still there, as were the Argents, so Derek kept his distance and Stiles came closer. He'd asked Scott what had happened, where his dad was, why hadn't he been answering Stiles' calls, but the only real answer Stiles got was 'I don't know'. Stiles had left that night completely pissed and when he got home, his dad was on the couch watching tv and drinking.

"What are you doing?" Stiles' voice was harsh and he tried to reign himself back in, but it was so hard when he was so angry. "Scott said you got hit by a car."

The Sheriff's eyes were glazed over a bit, but the man managed a straight and coherent answer. "The car bumped me Stiles. It was hardly an injury or a car accident." Stiles nodded, taking the steady heart beat as proof. His dad believed himself fine, then so be it. Climbing up to his room he knew Derek would be there, and that was the only think that made the whole night bearable.

"Tomorrow night. Hale Mansion." Derek's voice had come from the window, and Stiles could only manage a nod before Derek was gone, taking his scent with him. Sleep wasn't easy that night, but he hardly wanted to think about it right now. Right now he had something better to focus on.

The darkness surrounded them, the light from the moon being the only thing illuminating their forms when the clouds parted enough for the moon to shine.

"So what else are we going to do?"

Stiles' swung his foot out in a high kick, knowing Derek would duck, before bringing his heel down heavily, missing the older wolf by a hair as Derek threw himself back. He didn't waste any time, stepping forward and throwing a knee out, stumbling a bit when Derek caught it and hit him in the stomach with an open palm. He used his arms and the momentum to turn the fall into a back hand spring before crouching on all fours and using his arms and his legs to launch himself at Derek. He caught the older wolf around the waist and brought them both down, Stiles scrambling to pin Derek's hips with his weight and hold his arms down. He wasn't fast enough before Derek bucked his hips up hard and threw Stiles' smaller form off.

"Your training has been fine so far. I don't really know how else to teach you. I am what I am because of birth, you were bitten. Teaching someone who was bitten takes time." Derek jumped to his feet, getting a solid stance ready before he advanced on Stiles.

Neither moved for a second, just walked in a circle, sizing each other up. The first to make a move this time was Derek. Faster than the naked eye could catch, Derek's right fist shot out in a straight punch, Stiles ducking under it before forcing his palm up under Derek's chin. Derek saw it coming and threw his head back to avoid a majority of the blow, bending the arm he used to punch at the elbow to drive it down on Stiles' shoulder, catching the younger wolf by surprise enough to use his left hand to deliver and open palmed strike to Stiles' solar plexus. When Stiles stumbled back, Derek came at him again.

Stiles ducked as Derek's right hook came at him, taking a lesson from his earlier failure he used his speed to side stepped Derek's body and hit the middle of the older wolf's back with an elbow. Derek used the push forward to brace on his hands and swing his legs up in an arching kick, but Stiles was already out of the way, dropping down and swinging a leg out to sweep Derek's hands out from under him, but Derek had already finished the front flip. With a surge forward and his own sweeping kick, Derek took Stiles' legs out from under him.

"Oh shit!" Stiles yelled as his legs gave out and he landed on his back, the wind knocked out of his lungs. "How do you freakin' do that! I'm the fast one here damn it."

Derek's smirking face hovered above him before the winner offered a hand down to the loser.

"You are the faster runner, but your movements are hesitant. Like you are afraid to hurt me. I guarantee if you were more confident in your attacks, that heel drop would have caught me."

Stiles nodded, knowing that Derek was right. He didn't want to hurt the older man, even though he knew any bruises or injuries sustained would take mere moments to heal. "So what else can we do? How else can you teach me?"

Derek shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "It's instinctual for me Stiles. I don't know how else to show you what you should be feeling. It's all about-" The ringing of a phone cut him off.

Stiles cursed as he dug into the pocket of his jeans, pulling it out and checking the caller ID before he answered.

"What do you want Scott?" Stiles still wasn't happy about Scott ignoring his text and call the other day. He especially didn't like how Scott only called him after there was trouble.

"I saw the Alpha man! I saw the Alpha!"

Stiles' eyes widened, his mouth falling open and the inability to speak sinking in. Suddenly the phone wasn't in his hands anyone.

"What did you see? Did you talk to him?" Derek's voice was harsh as he spoke into the receiver, his grip on the phone so hard that Stiles heard the metal groan softly.

"I did- I was- I just left Allison's house and he- I thought it was you or Stiles or- or, Derek he drew something on my car window in the condensation, some sort of spiral thing, I don't know what it means. I'm at home now, can you….can you send Stiles here?"

Derek snorted and Stiles could almost feel the disbelief flowing off the bigger wolf in waves. Stiles was thinking along the same lines though._ Scotty boy only wants me around when there's trouble_. But then a serious look took over.

"Wait, he drew what?" Derek's voice had an edge to it now and Stiles was confused. He'd never heard that sharp tone in Derek's voice before, not even when they'd first met.

"A…A spiral thing, like I don't know dude. Can you just, I think he's after me or something."

"He's not after you." Derek sounded so sure that Scott was not the only one who was left sputtering.

"How do you know that?" Stiles asked quietly, knowing Derek would hear him.

The older wolf pulled the phone away from his ear before he spoke. "Scott was in Allison's house. Hunters, Stiles. If the Alpha went after Scott, it was because he smelt like the Argents. Scott isn't anything special or interesting. We figured out that he was after something. Now I know what it is." Derek's face was grave and Stiles reached out a hand to lay it on his shoulder, his own nervousness reflected in the wavering of his voice.

"And that would be?"

"Revenge. That is what the spiral means."

"Stiles! Derek!"

Scott's voice sounded panicked so Stiles took the phone before Derek could speak into it.

"Scott, I'm not happy with you right now, but I don't want you in danger. You want to stay alive, stay away from Allison. Do you hear me? The Alpha came for you because you smell like her, you smell like hunters. Stay away from Allison and you will be safe." Before he could hear the protesting on the other end of the line, Stiles ended the call and stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

"I better get going." Stiles sighed. He didn't want to, but part of him was also worried about his dad. It had been nothing more than a bump, but the Sheriff wasn't as young anymore. "Same time tomorrow?"

Derek nodded, but just as Stiles took a step towards his car, Derek's hand wrapped around his bicep.

"The full moon is coming up Stiles. It's going to be harder keeping control this time after you managed to keep from shifting last time. Just be careful."

Stiles nodded, and Derek seemed satisfied. When the bigger wolf's iron grip was gone, Stiles turned around and threw his arms around Derek's neck, pulling him into a hug before just as quickly letting go.

"Thanks." Stiles murmured as he walked away.

"You're welcome." Stiles caught Derek's whispered reply before he got in the jeep and drove back home. He had school tomorrow.

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Stiles heard Scott's approach from a mile away. The quiet mantra of 'Stay away from Allison, stay away from Allison' changed to 'Stay away from Jackson' before a frustrated groan echoed out and Scott finally made it to class. Stiles didn't even bother to look his best friend's way as Scott took the seat behind him and started talking.

"Still not talking to me?" Stiles shook his head mutely. No, he wasn't happy with Scott at all. Calling only when he needed help, ignoring all of Stiles' own calls for help. _True friend, thy name is NOT Scott. _

"Okay, at least tell me your dad is alright. You know, just a bruise. Soft tissue damage. Nothing…really serious." Stiles wanted to turn around and punch Scott, but he pushed it down. His anger was making his pulse rack up and he needed to keep control. "You know I feel really bad about it, right?"

"What Scott, what do you feel bad about? Completely ditching me for Allison? Or how about calling me only when you have a problem while you completely ignore mine? Or maybe you're sorry about how hostile you are to a person who has only ever been trying to help me!" Stiles hissed under his breath, turning around to glare at Scott.

Scott shrunk back a bit before sighing. "Yeah okay, I haven't been the best of friends, but-"

"'haven't been the best'?" Stiles shot him in incredulous look. "Scott, you've been the worst friend. Like the suckiest sort of friend I could have ever come up with." Scott had the decency to look guilty before he sighed again.

"I'm staying away from Allison okay? I know how serious things are getting and I want to help. Whether or not I trust Derek, I trust you. Please? Can you at least tell me what he said?"

Stiles is actually proud of himself for holding off for as long as he did. But just like always, he cracked.

Turing around, he finally spoke straight to Scott. "There is a big dangerous Alpha out there looking for revenge on a family of hunters, for I don't even know what, and you and I are stuck in the middle of it because I got turned into a werewolf, and you are in love with one of the hunters out to kill me. Let's add on the fact that my dad is the Sheriff investigating all of these murders without knowing the whole story, my mentor is a grumpy werewolf with attitude problems and a hatred for the family of hunters that likely rivals the big dangerous Alpha's, and I am almost at a break through about the connection between all of the people murdered. Yeah Scott. I need your help, just like you need mine."

Scott looked surprised but nodded slowly as Stiles turned back around to pay attention to the teacher.

They didn't speak again until the bell rang, and this time it was Scott's turn to spill.

"Allison's aunt gave her some clue about her family history the other night. I was in the closet and I heard them talking about some legend about a big wolf."

Stiles frowned as they walked, "What was it called?"

"La bête du…something. Gevadun or whatever."

Stiles almost choked on his tongue, before nodding his head. "La Bête du Gévaudan? Yeah, it's this French legend about a beast that killed over a hundred people in a village a billion years ago. The name of the hunter who finally managed to kill La Bête was named Argent. Allison's ancestors. But why is that relevant?"

"Allison really seems like she doesn't know anything, but her family does. Her aunt especially. She the only one of Allison's family that I've seen so far even mention anything about werewolves."

Stiles raised an eyebrow. "So what? You think her aunt is up to something?"

Scott shook his head, a look of confusion crossing his face before he nodded. "Yeah maybe. I just. I don't get a good feeling from her dude. Back when I stole the bullet for Derek, she confronted me and asked me what I took, I thought she was on to me."

"What happened then? How'd you manage to leave with the bullet?"

The look of embarrassment that crossed Scott's face was hilarious, right up until he spoke. "Allison said she did it. Then she pulled out a condom."

Stiles grinned. "That's ma boy!" he thumped hand on Scott's shoulder and laughed when his friend groaned and pitched over.

"Dude Stiles, that super strength thing, you gotta be more conscious of that."

The werewolf just laughed at that, not even one bit guilty for seeing his friend in pain. "Yeah I know. I've been sparring with Derek, I'm actually a really good fighter now."

Scott snorted. "What's he teaching you anyways? Like guerrilla warfare?"

Stiles rolled his whisky colored eyes and shook his head at his best friend's stupidity. "Dude, guerrilla warfare is a tactic, not a style. No, he's been teaching me martial arts. Street fighting, playing dirty, even a bit of Brazilian dance fighting, but just the ground work. Enough to protect myself you know? So I don't rely on the wolf when I'm in trouble."

"So you can keep control?" Scott asked.

"Yeah," Stiles smiled as his friend got the gist of it. "But he doesn't really know if he can teach me how to stay in control during the shift. He said it's different for born and bitten wolves. It's all up to me to learn, but I needed someone's help. I know Derek wouldn't be willing to do it."

"Why wouldn't he be willing to do it?"

Stiles grinned now, almost feral. "Because it involves getting me angry."

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

"Okay."

Stiles carried the gym back out into the field, a lacrosse stick held in his other hand before he threw everything down on the bench and pulled out the strap he'd stored in the bag.

"Isn't that one of the heart monitors for the track team?" Scott asked skeptically.

"Yeah I borrowed it," Stiles said as he lifted his shirt to put the monitor on.

"You stole it."

Stiles looked up at Scott, the annoyance shining through. "Temporarily misappropriated. Coach use it to monitor his heart rate while he jogs so I'm going to put this on and wear it for the rest of the day."

He pulled out the next item from his pocket, but Scott spoke up again. "Isn't that Coach's phone?"

"That I stole." Stiles admitted before finally managing to get the monitor on.

"Why?" Scott asked confused and amused. Stiles rolled his eyes before he launched into his explanation.

"Well, my heart rate goes up when I go wolf. When I'm angry, or stressed, or when someone is in danger. So, I figured the only way to learn how to control it, is to control my heart rate."

Scott takes a moment to nod in understanding before he starts to smile like a loon. "So, like the Incredible Hulk."

Stiles thinks about it for only a second before nodding himself. "Kind of like the Yncredible Hulk, yeah."

"You're like the Incredible Hulk," Scott says again, almost laughing before Stiles huffs and pushes the phone into Scott's hands.

"Will you just, hold onto this. The whole point of doing this is controlling my heart rate. So what you got to do, is try to get me angry."

"Are you going to wolf out and attack me if I do?" Scott sounded less enthusiastic about this now, but Stiles just grinned.

"Not if this works like it's supposed to, but there is a definite possibility of that, yes. While you try to rile me up, you keep an eye on my heart rate. It starts to get too high, you stop. Anything and everything and you try and get me back to my senses. Understood?"

"Look, Stiles, I'm not sure about-"

"You wanna help me or not Scott?"

A weak nod gave Stiles his answer and with a sigh of his own, Stiles handed Scott the duct tape.

"Tie my hands behind my back with this," Stiles instructed as he turned around and put his hands behind his back.

"You know, this isn't exactly how I wanted to spend my free period."

"Shut up. Alright. You're ready? Remember, if I wolf out, don't run. That'll only make me want to chase you." Stiles smirked when Scott paled and took the lacrosse stick into his hands. "Now come on. I promise I won't bite that hard."

Scott swallowed loudly. "This seems like a really bad idea." And then started throwing the balls at Stiles, who took each hit with a small wince. "Come on man, put some arm into it. You're supposed to be the co-captain!"

That got the desired effect. Hit after hit came his way and Stiles took them, the pain intense for a couple of seconds before it faded. When one of them hit his shoulder, he felt the spike.

"Scott!" Stiles called, but not loud enough. Another ball came at his chest. "Scott, I'm warning-" a hit to his right thigh.

"Scott!" He howled it this time, the growl unmistakable, just like his eyes and teeth. He heard Scott's own heart spike and when the human boy dropped the lacrosse stick and turned tail, Stiles tried to call again. "Don't! Scott don't run!" but it was too late. The teen took off, and Stiles felt it. The need to chase.

The angrier he got, the stronger he got, he broke through the tape and took chase, his senses reeling with the instinct to hunt the scared prey, but then he heard it. The beeping of the heart monitor. An anchor, he needed to find an anchor, something to cool his head. Something to tie him to humanity.

His dad. His dad worked before. He thought about his father, his Sheriff father out there right now, directly in the path of danger, pursuing more about the murders because he doesn't believe a mountain lion did it. It doesn't work. The thought of his father in danger just makes him angrier.

His mother. That one worked too. His sweet and caring mother who left them behind. Who made his father cry, who abandoned them and it was all his fault. _It's not working!_

_Derek! Think about Derek. Derek's hands, strong and powerful. Safe. Derek's scent, wood, ash, and home. His eyes, mist green and brimming with concern and affection. _

He fell to his knees as the sudden weakness took over. All of the strength he had felt before was now gone as his wolf receded and he was back to himself. Then a realization hit him. Derek, he had thought about Derek.

_Derek, is my anchor. How very freakin poetic. _

"Dude, Stiles, are you okay?"

He turned his head up, pinning Scott with a glare Derek would be proud of. "I told you not to run Scott!" Stiles growled out, forcing the words past his throat.

"I'm sorry dude! Your eyes went yellow and you were all fangs and claws! I wasn't going to stick around to be your chew toy!"

"I was in control Scott! I lost it when you went running! Do you have any idea how much I wanted to rip you to shreds the second you took off?! I told you not to run!" He felt the anger coming again, his heart beat ramping up. He closed his eyes and thought about Derek. The way Derek's hand felt warm and heavy on the back of his neck, how solid Derek's body was every time he managed to come up with an excuse to hug the older wolf. "I was in control, Scott," Stiles says again, much calmer.

"Yeah okay," Scott answered as he offered Stiles a hand up. "Come on dude. We better get going."

Stiles allowed himself to be pulled up, all the while thinking about what he was going to tell Derek about his Anchor.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

The whole school day passed with Stiles trying to find a way to tell Scott that he found his control, while keeping to himself exactly what that control is. It also passed with Scott trying, and failing epically, to avoid Allison. All the while Stiles kept a close eye on his own heart rate.

Needless to say, everyone failed today.

Scott had a date with Allison, Stiles hadn't quite gotten past Derek being his anchor, and when Scott keyed a truck and got the thugs to come at Stiles so they could test the heart rate thing again, Stiles used every trick Derek had taught him to take the bigger dudes down. Needless to say, they both got detention when Harris found them in the parking lot beating people up.

"Excuse me sir, I know this is detention and all, but I'm supposed to be at work and I don't want to get fired."

Scott's words were met with a sympathetic look and a resounding silence, so with a shake of his head, Scott gave up and turned to Stiles who kept on playing with his pencil like nothing was happening.

"Okay, Derek taught you shit, I won't doubt it again, but seriously? What was that, Kung-fu? You were like freaking Jackie Chan or Yoda! Do you know how fast you were moving?"

Stiles rolled his eyes as Scott kept on going. "Yeah Scott, I'm a werewolf. Figured you would have noticed this by now," Still, the smug smile on Stiles face just wouldn't leave. "Now you got to learn to trust Derek. Why would he teach me to fight like that if all he wanted was to use me? I'm so good, I even beat him sometimes." It was such a lie, but Stiles was still going to roll with it. "So, you want to tell me why you almost got me beaten up by those guys?"

Scott looked away before shrugging his shoulders. "I thought it would help you learn."

"But instead it helped you learn," Stiles retorted knowingly. Again, Scott looked away, guilty and speechless.

"Dude…" Scott breathed. Stiles sat there, waiting for what the human boy was going to say. He could still feel the anger in him, he'd told Scott that he might have found his anchor, only to have the other boy drag him to the parking lot and almost beaten up. If Stiles hadn't been sparring with Derek almost every day, chances are, he would have been. And Scott had been expecting him to be. "You're my best friend and I can't have you being angry with me."

Stiles couldn't keep from snorting. "Can't have me being angry with you? Well, look at all the things you've done Scott. Every help you tried to give just ended up failing!" Stiles was hissing now, keeping his voice low but it was obvious Harris was listening in.

"I saved Derek!" Scott defended, and Stiles bristled.

"You only did that so you could have a reason to demand that he stay away from me. You aren't helping me Scott, even today you couldn't listen! I told you not. To. Run." Stiles' eyes flashed but he was breathing deeply, in through his mouth and out through his nose. "Let's not even mention the guys you got to try and beat me up? How was that even a smart plan Scott?! If Derek hadn't been teaching me to defend myself, I would have instinctively-" his eyes flicked over to Harris before turning back to Scott and drastically lowing his voice. "Ripped them all to pieces with my teeth."

"I said I was sorry! I was trying to help you keep control Stiles! You asked for my help and I was trying!"

Stiles rolled his eyes before sighing. "Listen to me Scott. I have something. Whether I wanted it or not, it doesn't matter. I don't have a choice anymore. I have to do something, I have to protect the people I care about. I told you that I found it, I found an anchor, but-"

"I wanted you to be sure. I wanted you to know you could keep control. I know I ran Stiles, but I didn't run far, I watched you on the field. You stayed there crouched on the grass for fifteen minutes holding yourself in. When I saw you like that, I believed you. You can keep control. I thought if I tried something more stressful, and I didn't run away this time, you would trust me. I thought I would make it up from running away from you the first time."

Stiles didn't say anything. He just ran his friends words through his mind. He hadn't been listening to Scott heart, he'd been too busy trying to hear the words, so he didn't really know if they were true. "I'm not angry anymore." He sighed as he looked at Scott, who had on the sad puppy dog eyes that Stiles was sure worked on Allison, if not every girl in the world. And hell if it wasn't sort of working on him too.

"Scott, it's okay to be scared of me. Hell, sometimes, I'm scared of me. And if you aren't brave enough to stick by my side when things get really scary, then I need to know. I need someone there who won't run away, from me, or anything."

"I won't run away." Scott answered, and Stiles heard his heart beat this time. Scott believed his own words. He wouldn't run away.

"Okay then." Stiles nodded, offering a weak smile to his friend, who returned it gingerly.

"Okay you two," Harris said, his eyes going from one to the other. "You can both go."

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

"Dude! Your crazy mentor just beat the hell out of my boss!"

Scott's voice was panicked through the phone and Stiles was so thrown for a loop he honestly didn't know how to answer.

"Well…hello there, it's nice to talk to you too. Oh, I'm okay, how are you?"

"Stiles I'm serious just…come pick me up." Scott sounded frustrated, so Stiles just gave up and agreed.

"What are we going to go do man, it's like nine o'clock at night."

"Just pick me up and I'll explain okay. I have a plan."

"Scott, you're not the planner type. All your plans just end up more like very bad ideas."

"Stiles!"

"Okay okay okay, I'll be right there. Just give me a few"

When Stiles heard the plan, his thoughts were confirmed. It just sounded like a very bad idea. So he said so.

"This is a terrible idea."

"Yeah I know." Scott answered, confusing Stiles completely.

"W-what? We're still going to do it?"

"Can you think of something better?"

Stiles didn't, so he went with his fall back plan. Sarcasm. "Well, personally I'm a fan of ignoring a problem until it eventually goes away."

"Just make sure we can get inside okay? You have to do this, we don't have any other choice."

Stiles sighs as he opens the back of his jeep, pulling out the bolt cutters just as he hears Derek's car rolling into the parking lot.

The first thing he wants to do is go greet the older wolf, but he refrains. They don't exactly know how to interact when there is someone else there. Scott or anyone really. So he hangs back and lets Scott greet Derek instead.

"Where's my boss?" Okay, not very much of a greeting, but it didn't matter.

"He's in the back." Derek answers. And when Stiles goes to check, he can't help but cringe.

"Well he looks comfortable." He comments as he gives Derek a look. _You couldn't have been a little gentler? _

Derek gives him a look right back, and Stiles is mildly surprised when he understands it. _Stiles I'm hardly in the mood to be gentle. _

And then Stiles' mind starts to wander to a not-very-innocent zone where Derek is never gentle.

"Stiles," Derek's voice brings his attention back to reality and he is a bit disappointed, but the smirk on Derek's face before Stiles turns to follow Scott was enough to make him smile. That is until: "Whoa! Hey! What are you doing?"

Stiles turned to answer, but before he could, Scott spoke up. "You said Stiles was linked to the Alpha. We're going to see if you're right."

When they made it inside the school, Stiles finally started to think about Scott's plan in detail. "Okay, one question," They made their way to the office, where the PA system held the key to Scott's oh-so-bright plan. Stiles really wasn't liking this, but Scott was trying to help, and he wasn't running this time. Stiles would take it. "What are we going to do if the Alpha doesn't show up?"

"I don't know." Scott answered with a shake of his head.

Stiles looked up skeptically, "And what are we going to do if he does show up?"

"I don't know."

Stiles rolled his eyes this time. "Great plan dude."

Scott sighed before he sagged against the office counter. "We have to do something man. Derek went after my boss because he thought Deaton was the Alpha. We have to do something Stiles, Derek won't wait anymore."

"Derek is trying to find the Alpha too Scott. You came up with one plan, Derek and I have been at this for a couple of months now." Stiles said with a glare as he turned the PA system on. "Okay, so what exactly is your plan here?"

"You said that a wolf howls to signal its location to the pack."

Stiles wanted to throttle him. "So what does it mean if he comes Scott?! I don't want to be a part of his pack!"

"Stiles, we're already here, and if we catch him tonight, you're off the hook. Come on. Just do it," Scott pushed the microphone system to Stiles, urging him on with his eyes.

Stiles grimaced, cursing himself colorfully for following along with this damn plan in the first place. With a deep breath he pressed the 'live' button. A second later, he let it go. "No- no man, I don't think I can do this."

"Stiles, do you want to find the Alpha or do you want the Alpha to find your dad?" That did it.

Again Stiles cursed himself, this time adding some very creative ones for Scott as well before pressing down the button and letting his voice loose.

"I am going to kill the both of you!" Derek's anger was palpable and Stiles couldn't help but want to smile. "What the hell was that?! What are you trying to do, attract the entire state to the school?"

"Sorry, we didn't realize it would be that loud," Scott says with a bit of a laugh, Stiles grins.

"Yeah," Stiles agrees, stepping a bit closer to Derek. "It was loud, and it was awesome."

"Shut up," Derek deadpans, though Stiles can smell it, the pride behind the words. Derek wanted to join in the howl, Stiles could feel it humming in his bones and he knew Derek felt the same thing.

"Don't be such a Sourwolf. If you want to howl too, go ahead. I'm not stopping you." Stiles smiled as he shuffled a bit closer to Derek, throwing his head back and letting out another howl. Now that it wasn't amplified, it sounded smoother, more calming instead of the intense one that bellowed from him before. This was only his second true howl and it felt so good.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Derek's lips twitch up in a smirk before another howl joined his in the night sky, both him and Derek calling to the moon and to each other. It felt even better, It was perfect…until Scott broke their moment.

"What did you do with him?"

Derek stopped mid howl and looked around, confused but on edge. "What?" He looked back into the back seat of his car where Dr. Deaton was no longer unconscious, the good doctor was no longer there at all. "I didn't do anything."

Before anyone could say anything else, Stiles felt the presence of the Alpha, he knew it was the Alpha.

"Derek!" Stiles yelled but he was too late. Blood ran down Derek's chin and Stiles could see the black claws poking out from Derek's chest, the claws of the Alpha.

"Stiles!" Scott yelled as he grabbed onto Stiles' arm and started pulling them away and into the school.

"Derek!" Was all Stiles could say or think or focus on as the Alpha lifted Derek off the ground from the grip on his internal organs and threw him against the school building.

"Stiles move! Come on!" Scott tugged harder and managed to get them both inside the school just as what had happened sunk into Stiles brain.

The building emotions were raging inside of him, his control was quickly slipping and he didn't know what to do about it. So he howled one more time. It shook the walls of the school without the assistance of the PA system, and it echoed with pain. It was a cry and Stiles wasn't sure if he could hold it in. So he howled again.

"Dude! Stiles, stop! Stop!"

Stiles barely registered it when Scott tackled him to the ground, covering his mouth with a warm and sweaty hand. On instinct, Stiles bit down and Scott screamed.

That scream brought him back. The realization that he was hurting someone, that he was hurting Scott, snapped him back to reality.

Stiles let out a whimper, no one was there to really hear it but Scott, who held his hand protectively to his chest and stared at Stiles like he was a monster. "Derek! He's out there with the Alpha. I can't just leave him out there, he's-"

"He's dead Stiles!" Scott said harshly. Whiskey eyes flashed gold and Stiles was suddenly on top of Scott, pushing the weaker body down to the floor and growling in his best friend's face.

"You! Your fault!" Stiles sneered. "Your stupid idea! Your dumb plan got Derek…" and he couldn't even finish that thought. Couldn't bring himself to speak the words out loud. This time, neither could Scott.

"I didn't think he would- I didn't think he would actually come Stiles!"

But the damage was done. Stiles would never see Derek again, his anchor was dead, and there was nothing left to keep him grounded anymore. The anger was like lava running through his veins but the only thing that kept him from killing Scott right then was the scream of pain his friend had released before. It echoed in his head on repeat. Just like Derek's words from before.

"_We are predators, but we don't have to be killers."_


	7. Episode Seven Night School

**Stiles The Teen Wolf  
Episode Seven: Night School**

_He can't be dead. He wouldn't be taken down that easily, it was just another wound, he'll heal from it, he just needs some times. Yeah that's it some time. He'll be up again and helping me fright off the Alpha, I just have to buy him some time. I just have to buy me and Scott some time too. I have to stay alive so that I can be here to help him when Derek comes back. Yeah that's it, he will come back, he has to. He wouldn't leave me like this. I didn't even get the chance to tell him how I felt…oh my god, I haven't told him how I felt._

Humanity was slowly seeping back in with each new thought. He had a solid anchor for now. He wouldn't use Derek himself anymore, the thought of Derek only made Stiles see red, so instead he would use his feelings _for_ Derek. He needed to tell Derek, life was too short. What was he thinking, keeping it in and hiding it like he did with Lydia, it was stupid, they didn't have all the time in the world, if he was going to get rejected, then so be it at least he would _know!_

"Try to lock the door!" Scott's voice called from outside Stiles' mind palace. It was fine, Stiles needed to stop thinking so hard anyways. They were both in a serious situation, a serious and very troubling situation that would most likely result in the death of both of them. _Most likely Scott though._ Which now that Stiles thought about it, would be completely fine by him. Scott has done nothing but get Derek arrested and now killed. _NO! Don't think about that!_

"Do I look like I have a freakin key?!" Stiles snapped at Scott as they rushed to keep the school's main doors shut.

"Grab something!" Scott retorted, yelling now in his own panicking human fear. Stiles could smell it everywhere and it was an irritation on his nose. It also heightened his own emotions, and not just the fear but the want to attack Scott and make the human boy pay for the loss of a pack mate.

"What?!" Stiles snapped back. He was growling and he knew it, but fuck Scott. Scott should be happy his blood wasn't all over the School floors and his head wasn't placed inside Allison's locker as a nice present.

"Anything!"

And that's when the idea hit him. The bolt cutters.

Standing up straight, he looked out the narrow windows of the door to check if the bolt cutters were still outside where he had dropped them. And they were, right there at the entrance.

Stiles ignored Scott's weak protests as he pulled the door open and slipped outside, he smelled it almost instantly, Derek's blood.

His eyes shifted and his teeth were down before he could do anything, but he shook his head. He would ignore the change for now and focus on keeping his mind together. The second he decided this, he started to hear the thumping. Wavering and weak, with a stutter on every third beat. Derek's heartbeat.

He was about to rush towards the sound when another kind of thumping caught his attention. He looked back at Scott and saw the panic and desperation on the human boy's face. When he looked in front of him again, he saw why. The Alpha was coming out from behind his blue jeep, the glowing eyes trained on Stiles.

The wolf inside of him wanted to pounce. He wanted revenge for his pack mate and blood for the loss, but another part, the part now anchored by Scott's shouts, knew he would not win a fight with the Alpha. He could barely win the fights with Derek and those had been sparing. So he dashed forward, his superior speed allowing for him to reach the bolt cutters in a second before he went back to the door ripping it open before pulling it closed behind him, securing the bolt cutters between the metal bars of the doors.

"Derek's alive." Stiles breathed, allowing a small smile to light his face before it disappeared just as quickly when Scott spoke up.

"That won't hold will it?"

Stiles backed up with Scott, eyeing the poor job of restraining the door they had managed. "Probably not." He answered honestly before looking back at the empty and dark hallway. He had walked these halls so many days but never had he been so afraid of them.

When the howl pierced the night air, Stiles and Scott both panicked, bolting to the closest classroom. They both went for the desk first, trying to use it to block the door. The squeak of the desk made Stiles grimace before he told Scott to stop.

"The door's not going to keep it out." Stiles breathed, his heart pounding in his ears. So many things ran circles in his head, but he held onto his new anchor. His feelings for Derek. _If we survive this Derek, I won't hide it anymore okay? I'm going to tell you and damn the consequences. So just…heal okay. Just wait and heal, I can take care of myself for now._

"I know." Scott answered, before a sudden thought crossed Stiles' mind.

"It's your boss."

"What?"

"The Alpha? Deaton? Your boss." Stiles was more than certain now.

"No." Scott protested, and Stiles cut him off.

"Yes! Murdering, psycho-werewolf!"

"That can't be!" Scott shook his head, denying the idea completely. This just made Stiles angrier.

"Oh come on!" Stiles hissed, his teeth bared but under control. "He disappears and that things turns up ten seconds later to toss Derek twenty feet through the air? That's not convenient?"

"It's not him. He didn't kill Derek."

"Derek's not dead!" Stiles growled it now, eyes shifting. "He can't be."

"Blood spurted out of his mouth Stiles. You can't tell me that it isn't something fatal." Scott argued back.

"To a human maybe, but we are werewolves Scott." Stiles answered with more confidence than he really felt.

"Okay, fine! But what do we do now Stiles? How are we going to get out of here?" Scott was panting, his heart was pounding, and all of it was getting to Stiles like nothing else had before. This heighted fear and adrenaline. He need to hold onto his humanity, needed control or he would leave this school tonight with electric blue eyes.

"Get to my jeep." Stiles answered. This was the first step of course, they needed to get away from the School, draw the Alpha out and away from the surly healing Derek. _Please be stronger than that Alpha Derek. Please be alive. _"We get out of here, and you seriously think about quitting your job."

Scott nodded and together, they raced to the window. When Scott tried to open it, Stiles stopped him. Breaking the windows was another option, but it was noisy. If they made a break for it, Stiles knew he could outrun the Alpha, he was the fastest wolf Derek had ever seen after all, but he didn't think Scott could. He could carry Scott, possibly, but that would slow him down tremendously and he wasn't sure he was that fast.

"Stiles what happened to the hood of your jeep?"

Stiles felt his heart stutter. "Nothing.' Stiles said. "Nothing's wrong with my jeep." He came up behind Scott, taking a closer look at his vehicle.

"It's bent." Scott said in awe.

"What? Do you mean like, dented?" Stiles knew though, he could see it better than Scott. Something had been ripped out. Most likely, something very important.

The sudden crash of the glass above them shocked them both and they ducked. The car batter flew through the window and skidded on the floor a bit, coming to a stop in front of the door. Stiles recognized it, not that it would take a genius to guess where the battery came from.

"We have to move." Stiles said. Scott rounded on him, wide eyes scared and reluctant.

"He could be right outside!" Scott protested, but that was just stupid.

"He is right outside!" Stiles pointed at his car battery before grabbing Scott's arm. "Somewhere without windows."

Scott tried to shake him off, but Stiles wouldn't let go. He noticed how Scott flinched when Stiles' claws ripped through his jacket but he didn't stop. "Every room in this building has windows." Scott argued.

"Somewhere with less windows." Stiles prompted. It clicked to both of them at once, but Scott was the one to call it out.

"The locker room."

The rush through the halls was a quick walk, each one panting with more fear than exhaustion. It didn't take long to reach the locker room and once inside, Scott got another idea.

"Call your dad." He said quickly, looking around to make sure the room was empty.

"And tell him what?" Stiles frowned and shook his head, opening his sense before regretting it instantly and lowering them all to human levels. _Oh god, human boys are so disgusting._ He didn't even want to think about that fact that before he became a sensitive werewolf, he had also smelled just like them. Having a strong nose to smell your own scents makes one more conscious of showers, just saying.

"I don't know, anything." Scott looked around the room again, this time looking for a crisis to lie about. "A gas leak, a fire, whatever. If that thing sees a parking lot filled with cop cars, it'll take off."

Stiles wanted to deck the idiot human boy, but he settled for growling. "What if it doesn't? What if it goes completely terminator and kills every cop in sight. Including my dad!" This was a fear he had constantly in the back of his mind. His dad was the sheriff in the frontline to all this weirdness with no real clue how truly weird it all actually was.

"They have guns!" Scott argued, but Stiles already saw it coming and had a comeback ready.

"Yeah, and Derek had to be shot with a wolf's bane laced bullet just to slow him down. You remember that?" It had been a very tense day for everyone, but for Stiles it had almost been the loss of his sanity, not that he knew it at the time.

"We have to…" Scott was at his wits end, Stiles saw it and heard it and smelled it all around the boy. This was too much for the poor little human, and a part of Stiles, the cruel part, wasn't satisfied enough. His so called best friend had been nothing but trouble since the arrival of Allison Argent. Hell, the werewolf bite would have probably gone over fine and he would have had Scott's support if Allison wasn't always on his friend's mind. "We have to find a way to get out of here and just run for it."

"Scott, there is nothing around the school for a least a mile."

"What about Derek's car?"

Stiles felt his eyes go wide, a slow grin coming to his face despite the situation. "That's right. That could work. We just got the get the keys from Derek and all three of us would be home free."

"Stiles, Derek is dead, we have to leav-"

The werewolf in Stiles moved faster than either one noticed and in an instant, Stiles had Scott slammed against a locker, his face close to the human teen's before he snarled. "We take him with us."

Scott's nod was hurried and frightened, and when Stiles let him go, Scott had to take a couple of seconds to calm himself before walking behind Stiles. "You know, Derek should have taught you more about how to control your anger. We could sign you up for a werewolf anger management course or something." It was said to break the tension, but it didn't work. Stiles just kept walking, ignoring Scott's presence until suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

"Someone's coming." He whispered, his body stiff as he listened to the footsteps coming from the other side of the locker room door. "Scott! Someone's coming! Hide!"

Stiles took Scott by the back of the neck and pushed him toward a locker, before opening one himself and getting inside. He didn't wait to see if Scott got into one himself before he closed his eyes and focused on his hearing.

A heartbeat, steady but not strong, slightly clogged up on every fourth pump. It wasn't the Alpha, no werewolf had problems with cholesterol, but no one should be in the school. So who was this?

When the locker room door was pulled open, Stiles let his sense of smell strengthen, taking longer than it normally would to sort through the smell of teenage body odor and sweaty socks until he reached the smell of dirty water and cleaning products. The janitor.

When Stiles opened his locker's door, the janitor had already opened Scott's. Stiles heard the heartbeat sky rocket in fear at the sudden presence of two teenage boys, but soon the fear was replaced by anger.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" The janitor barked. Neither Stiles nor Scott really had an answer for that. "Both of you, get out."

Stiles sighed before he started talking. "Just listen for half a second okay?"

The janitor scowled. "Not okay! Get the hell out of here right now." The janitor grabbed both of them by the backs of their coats and dragged them to the door, pushing them out of the locker room with ease, that's when Stiles heard it, the panting of the Alpha. "Just go! Get out of here and go!" The janitor barked again and before Stiles could get a word out, the janitor was pulled back into the locker room and the door slammed closed. The outline of the janitor's body filled the glass and his screams filled the halls and just like that, Scott and Stiles took off running.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

"A psychotic werewolf who is into team work!"

Stiles couldn't help but freak out as they ran. They didn't even know where the Alpha was anymore. They had lost him for now. "Even trapping the stupid thing didn't work man! What the hell are we going to do?!"

"Maybe he would have stayed in the damn room if you didn't freaking antagonize it!" Scott argued back.

"The thing attacked Derek Scott!" Stiles growled, and then he stopped. "Dude, do you hear that?"

"What? Hear what Stiles?" Scott turned on him, fear heavy in the air.

"It's a phone, its sounds like somebody's phone ringing." Stiles clarified. "It sounds like Allison's phone."

"Allison! Stiles you're telling me Allison is in the school with the Alpha on the loose! Stiles he's going to kill her if he finds her here! Give me your phone."

It was Allison. One call, and they were together, all three of them standing around the lobby panicked and scared.

"Why did you come? What are you doing here?" Scott asked with a bit more edge to his voice than Stiles thought Allison would understand. The girl didn't know about the danger she was in, that was for sure by her face.

"You asked me to come here?" she answered hesitantly.

Scott shot her a look of confusion. "What? I asked you to?" She heard the disbelief in his tone apparently because next thing she did was bring out her phone, the message from Scott clear on the front screen.

"_Meet me at the school. URGENT – Scott"_ it read. It was sent at 7:12 tonight.

Stiles suddenly felt the need to slam his head repeatedly on something hard when Scott and Allison shared unreadable looks before she spoke up first. "Why do I get the feeling you didn't send this message."

"Because I didn't." Scott answered. Stiles had had enough, here they were literally waiting like lambs in the slaughter. So he cut in.

"Look, did you drive here?" His voice was hard and mean, he knew it was but he couldn't help it. He had already been on edge before, but with Allison here the feeling that he was about to lose control was getting worse and worse.

"Jackson did." She answered.

Stiles didn't even know what to feel this time. "Jackson's here too?"

"And Lydia." Allison's own tone was getting panicked now, she didn't know the danger, but she was starting to sense that it was nowhere near good. "What is going on here, who sent this text?" Her phone started ringing again, and when she picked up, Jackson and Lydia burst into the lobby.

"Finally. Can we go?"

Everyone stopped as the ceiling squeaked and groaned.

The only ones who knew what it really was startled and backed away. Scott grabbed onto Allison's hands before Stiles whispered a harsh, "Run!"

When they took off, the ceiling collapsed.

Everyone was in a dead run, Stiles at the lead, looking back every once in a while to keep track of the Alpha. When they burst into a room, the first thing Scott and Jackson went for was the biggest piece of furniture to block the doors.

Stiles watched for a second before looking at the rest of the room.

"Scott, wait not here." Stiles called, but the mad rush to block the doors made his cry fall on deaf ears. "Guys?"

"Get the chairs stack the chairs!" Scott yelled, completely ignoring Stiles. _It's like watching a scary movie and yelling at the stupid actress 'it's right behind you! Run bitch run!' only you know she's going to turn around anyways_.

"Just wait a second." Stiles tried again. "You guys." But again, everyone was rushing around getting the doors blocked off with anything they could find. "Guys listen to me! Wait!" No one stopped. _Oh my god, we're going to die. I'm going to die at school with a room full of idiots! _"Guys! Wait!"

They stacked the chairs on top of the tables against the doors, they worked so well together, like worker ants in an orderly chaos, and if he wasn't being ignored, he would be impressed with the amount of team work in this group. "Guys?" He tried again. "Stiles! Talking!" _I think they are quite literally scared OUT of their minds._

"Can we hang on just one second please?" _Okay, this was funny at first but now its just getting ridiculously frustrating. _"Hello!" It was almost as loud as one of his howls, but it got the desired effect. All four of the humans stopped, turning on their heels to face Stiles, who felt the unhealthy need to laugh at the look on all their faces. This really isn't the time, or place, but it was instinctual to laugh at idiots. "Okay." Stiles breathed now, glad to have everyone's attention. "Nice work. Really beautiful job everyone. Now, what should we do about the twenty foot wall of windows?!" He gestured behind him, presenting said wall. _They really didn't even realize we were in the cafeteria. _

The look on everyone's faces when they finally realized their whole hearted effort to block the doors was all futile, was comical but Stiles managed to bite back the amusement when Allison spoke.

"Can somebody please explain what's going on here because I am freaking out here?! And I'd like to know why." She looked desperately at Scott, wanting a plausible explanation to dispel her fears and banish the dangers she isn't sure is actually there. Stiles looked to Scott too, wondering what he was going to tell his girlfriend.

If he were being honest, he would admit that he expected Scott to sell him out. Him and his secrets. So he waited. Wondering what his best friend would do now.

When Scott couldn't find words, Stiles decided on something to say. Something to divert everyone's attention. "Somebody killed the janitor." He said. The collective gasps were understandable. "Yeah, the janitor is dead."

Allison's face twisted in a forced smile. Her voice was strained. "What is he talking about? Is this a joke?" again she turned to Scott and Stiles was forced to wait for his friend to try to explain now.

"Who killed him?" Jackson asked. Lydia seemed even more affected than either Allison or Jackson as she mumbled to herself.

"No, no, this was supposed to be over. The mountain lion, it-" but Jackson broke into her thoughts.

"Don't you get it? There wasn't a mountain lion."

"Who was it?!" Allison's voice rose in her panic, her eyes pleading for an answer from Scott's back. "What does he want? What's happening…Scott!"

Stiles stood a little bit away from the humans. Watching the play as it unraveled before him.

"I-I don't know! I- I just…if we go out there he's gonna kill us." Scott said.

"Us?" Lydia's voice when sharp and Stiles had to wince. "He's going to kill us?"

"Who?" Allison insisted, now her eyes turned to Stiles, but he was unprepared for the attention. _A psychopathic werewolf out for innocent blood and me so I can join his pack and he can become strong enough to get revenge on your family for something I don't really know, but I'm sure has something to do with the Hale family house burning down years ago._ He couldn't say any of that. He couldn't tell the hunter decent that he was a werewolf, it was like signing his death certificate.

When Scott spoke, Stiles almost swallowed his own tongue.

"It's Derek. Derek Hale."

Anger filled Stiles veins in place of blood, his eyes shifted and he had to look away. His claws were buried in his thighs and he struggled to breathe through the rage bubbling to the surface so quickly it was crippling. _No he's not…he can't be. He can't be throwing Derek under the bus like that, he can't._ But he was. And Stiles couldn't even open his mouth to speak because he knew what would come out, he knew he would growl and snarl and if his claws weren't buried in his own skin, they would be buried in Scott's chest, because this was it. This was the last straw.

Stiles didn't even bother to listen as Scott blamed Derek for everything. Laura, Garrison, the guy in the video store, the janitor, everything. And everyone believed him.

"And if we don't get out now, he's going to kill us too."

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The fury was reflected in his eyes, Stiles knew that Scott could see it. Scott was avoiding looking in his direction. With good reason. Stiles was ready to rip someone open. Anyone, the first person to speak to him. Good thing that person was Jackson.

"Call the cops." Jackson barked. Stiles was just about ready to bark back.

"No!" it was so hard to keep the growl out of his voice.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean no! Do you want to hear it in Spanish?! Nó! It's not Derek! He's not the one behind this! He was attacked outside! We watched him get taken down! We don't know who it is!" Stiles was beyond holding his tongue as he rounded on Scott. "And you! Why did you tell them that! You know what Derek has been doing for me Scott! I'm not going to let you throw him under the bus like he doesn't mean anything!"

"How do you know it's not Derek?!" Jackson advanced on Stiles. "It doesn't even matter who it was, you need to call your useless dad tell him we're at the school." The second Jackson's hand landed on his shoulder, Stiles couldn't hold it back. He threw the punch and it connected to Jackson's jaw, sending the human boy to the ground where Allison rushed for him.

Everyone's eyes turned to Stiles and he couldn't hold the growl back. "Don't touch me! Don't insult me or my dad! Don't blame everything on Derek when he's been looking for the murderer, same as us!"

He pulled his phone out and dialed 911, only to be told off for prank calling.

Next he tried his dad, only to get his voice mail.

The door rattling startled all five of them.

"Dad, we're at the school. Do you hear me dad? Come to the school. Please." Nails came off the hinges on the door, the desks and chairs rattled with every hit. "The kitchen." Stiles said as he hung up the phone. "The door in the kitchen leads to a stairwell."

"The stairwell only goes up." Scott argued.

"Up is better than here."

And once again, they were off. Into the kitchen and up the stairs to the second floor. They went through every door, looking for an unlocked door. The only one they found was the chemistry classroom. Once inside, they all struggled to quiet their panting. Everyone standing stock still while the growling beast prowled the halls.

The second the beast was far enough away, Scott turned to Jackson. "How many people can fit in your car?"

"Five. If we squeeze and someone sits in someone's lap."

Allison didn't look convinced. "Five!" She whispered, as outraged as she could. "I barely fit in the back!"

"It doesn't matter!" Stiles interrupted. "There's no getting out without drawing attention."

Scott grabbed Stiles arm and dragged him to the back of the class. "How about this." The door in the back of the class. "This leads to the roof. We can go down the fire escape and get into the parking lot in seconds."

Stiles felt a rise in hope, right before no noticed exactly what locked the door. "That's a dead-bolt." Stiles pointed out, but Scott only took seconds to answer.

"The janitor has a key."

Stiles wanted to scowl but he sucked it in. "You mean his body has it."

"You can get it." Scott said, a little desperately. "You can find them by scent. By blood."

"Well that sounds like a terrible idea what else you got?" Stiles wanted to throttle Scott.

"Fine then. I'll get the key." Scott went to push past Stiles, but Stiles stopped him.

"Scott, you won't even know where to look. It's a bad idea! You're human Scott that out there is an Alpha. He's going to kill you and eat you for a late dinner if you don't come to your sense."

"What else are we going to do Stiles?!" Scott's eyes were hard and Stiles cursed himself.

"Fine. I'll get the key." He said loud enough for the whole room to hear. Allison was the first to protest.

"Wait, are you sure about that?"

"Someone has to get the key for us to get out of here." Stiles insisted, pushing Scott towards Allison so they clung to each other. "I've got nothing to lose, not like I got some cute girl to protect or nothing." It was a joke, but Stiles mind went instantly to Derek. Derek who couldn't be dead. Derek who couldn't have died without hearing about what Stiles really felt for him.

"You can't go out there unarmed!" Allison insisted. Stiles wanted to argue but Scott grabbed the long pointer from the chalk board. The pointing white glove on the end looking ridiculous enough to make Stiles roll his eyes as he takes it from Scott.

"What?" Scott argues. "It's better than nothing."

"Well there's got to be something else." Stiles insisted, because with claws or without them, Stiles wanted a weapon. Anything.

"There is." Lydia spoke up for the first time in a long time. Everyone looked at her in confusion when she gestured to the chemicals on the shelf by the door.

"What are we going to do? Throw acid on him?" Stiles growled.

"No." Lydia said, her snobbish attitude coming back full force. "Like a fire bomb. In there is everything you need to make a self-igniting molotov cocktail." And there it was. The deep intellect that Lydia hid from the world. The one that only Stiles recognized a long time ago.

"A self-igniting…" Stiles prompted.

"Molotov. Cocktail." Lydia said in annoyance. Everyone looked at her in surprise except for Stiles, who smirked a bit before shaking his head. "What." Lydia said off handedly. "I read it somewhere."

It didn't take her long to make it either and everyone watched as Jackson handed her each ingredient.

"Lock the door behind me." Stiles sighed as he pulled the door open and left. Before he was gone, he saw Allison hide her face in Scott's shirt, shaking her head as if denying any of this was happening. He felt just a little better when she heard her whisper. "This isn't right. We shouldn't be letting him go out there, whoever it is has already killed four people."

And then the door closed and locked behind him and he was left standing in a dark hallway completely alone hold a self-igniting Molotov cocktail.

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The scent of blood lead Stiles straight to the gym. The janitor's body was there, hanging from wires behind the pull out benches. It took a bit of climbing and struggling to grab the keys, and that was with the threat of the bleachers closing in on him and cutting him to pieces.

When he rushed out of the bleachers, he was face to face with the Alpha.

"Come get me." Stiles whispered as he tossed the fire bomb at the large wolf. When it didn't ignite, Stiles wasn't surprised. He had watched Lydia prepare it, had watched Jackson hand her the wrong ingredient. _Well, that asshole just took the term 'asshole' to a new level. _

The Alpha's first move was a grab for Stiles' ankle, but he saw it coming. With solid hands on the Alpha's lowered shoulders, Stiles flipped and landed behind the large foreboding wolf.

_This isn't Derek. I'm not afraid to hurt him. He hurt Derek, possibly killed Derek. Don't hesitate Stiles. Don't hold back._ It was Stiles' turn to rush in.

A solid hit to the Alpha's back had the bigger wolf stumbling forward on all fours, but Stiles didn't stop. A kick to the side sent the beast sprawling. He would putting all of his anger into this moment. All of the times he has held back from hurting one of his friends, he is now getting the chance to let it out.

Before he even realized it, he was wolfed out, his claws, fangs, eyes, and the hair all over his face. He focused his mind on Derek. Watching Derek throw his head back and howl, watching the man smile and play along to his I Spy game, hearing the laugh that was so rare it was beautiful. Derek had to still be alive, Stiles needed to tell him everything, needed to lay his feelings out in the opening. As it was, all of his feelings were bubbling up inside him and turning into hatred, loathing, and anger. When he drew blood from the Alpha, he howled, so loud and strong that it shook the building. It was cut short though when the Alpha slammed into him, dropping Stiles to the ground before it growled in his face and let loose his own howl.

And just like that, the Alpha was gone and Stiles was withering in agony. His bones were on fire, his skin was rough and itchy like sand paper. His teeth ached and he couldn't stop the screams that poured from his mouth like water. Slowly his mind came undone. He was losing himself, he was losing to the wolf, to his instinct.

_No! I have to tell him! I have to tell Derek! I can't lose control! I can't keep these feelings bottled up! Derek! Derek! DEREK!_

"_Derek!"_

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The roar was so loud it invaded his mind, cut through his nightmares until he was conscious.

Slowly, Derek sat up, the tender spot on his back and his chest telling him that he had healed, but not completely. It didn't matter. Stiles. That had been Stiles' voice right? That desperate, painful roar. Slowly, Derek got to his feet. He could smell the Alpha and blood. His own and not his own, but he wasn't sure where each scent was. He was still disoriented. It didn't matter though. Stiles called him.

Staggering a bit, he noticed where he was. The front of the school. Slowly he remembered the events that led up to him laying here almost drowning in his own blood. Scott's stupid idea, howling with Stiles, and the Alpha's attack from behind. For how long had he been out? From the healing of his wound, a little over an hour.

Stiles has been faced with the Alpha for a little over and hour?

Slowly, Derek made his way into the school. His sense were all over the place, not all of them working on his command, but he followed his instincts, knowing they would take him to Stiles.

Wincing with every step and holding a hand to his chest while he went up the main staircase, Derek finally heard it. The hard breathing and the rapidly beating heart. Stiles had heard him too.

"Stiles!" Derek's voice broke, but he didn't stop, kept going towards the animal he knew as his friend, as the person he loved. "Stiles where are you?"

Before he could react, something came at him like a bullet, taking him down hard. The back of his skull hit the tile floors with a crack and Derek's eyes lost focus, but he felt the claws digging into his arms.

"D-Der-rek." Stiles had hardly managed to get the words out, but that was okay. He could talk, Stiles knew who Derek was.

"Yeah pup. It's me. It's Derek. Come on pup, regain control. I know you can." Actually, Derek had no idea if Stiles could or not. For a wolf this far gone, only an anchor could get him back. Derek didn't know if Stiles had found his anchor yet or not, but he was about to find out. "Come on pup. What're you thinking about?"

Derek winced when Stiles' hands tightened around his arms, the claws digging in deeper.

"D-Derek." Stiles repeated again, whimpering almost. He smelt the tears before he saw them, and suddenly the grip on his arms was gone. Stiles had backed away, throwing himself off of Derek like he was on fire. "Derek!"

Stiles was crying now, the crystal tears rolling down his face rapidly as Stiles tried to blink them away. The hair was disappearing, the fangs too, but the eyes still glowed a shining yellow. "Stiles." Derek called back as he sat up again, staying on the floor for a while longer.

The younger wolf fell to his knees before he started to crawl slowly towards Derek's form. "I thought you were…" The words broke off, the sentence unfinished as another one started. "The Alpha he…I didn't think that you…I thought I lost…I wouldn't get to say…Derek…"

It was actually sort of cute how Stiles couldn't even get one sentence out, but that thought quickly fell away as Derek felt Stiles' hands come up to his face.

Stiles' hands were rough, callous from lacrosse littered the top pads of his palms and Derek could feel every inch of it run across his scruffy face.

"Derek." Stiles chocked out again, like he couldn't believe it.

And then Stiles did something Derek would have never imaged he'd do. He lunged forward, his lips colliding with Derek's almost violently in their desperation to be together. Stiles tears, the disorientation, and the suddenness of the kiss didn't stop Derek from responding though. He'd waited for this for a while now, dreamed of it really, and here he was, Stiles practically in his lap, cupping his face and kissing him. He wasn't about to squander this amazing opportunity no matter what.

Derek's hand came up of its own accord, settling at the back of Stiles' head and pulling the younger wolf closer as he took control of the kiss. He moved his lips, pulling back a bit only to dive back in for another kiss. Little kisses, one after the other fell on his lips until he started to receive them with a slightly opened mouth, something Stiles couldn't ignore.

Soon, Derek's tongue found its way into Stiles' mouth. Rubbing together erotically before the boys pulled back to drive back in.

The only thing that halted both boys where they sat was the sound of the police sirens.

It broke whatever spell had caught them.

"Crap! My dad!" Stiles cursed as he scrambled up, offering a hand down to help Derek. When Derek took it, a shiver shot up Stiles' spine and Derek couldn't help but notice.

"The Alpha's gone. His scent is everywhere though." Derek spoke up, a slight smirk on his kiss swollen lips. This made Stiles' face pale.

"Derek, Scott told them it was you." Stiles said, quickly and frantically. "They're all going to tell the police Derek! You have to leave! Now! They can't catch you here, you're already healed but there's a hole on your shirt and jacket! Derek, everyone in that room is going to blame it on you and you can't be here when the police comes in."

Derek allowed a look of confusion to pass his face quickly, before it hardened again and he nodded. Without waiting for an invitation, Derek stepped forward into Stiles' personal space and kissed him one more time. An innocent press of lips that warmed Stiles all over. "We are going to talk about this." Derek edged, before moving away and taking off down the hallway.

Stiles stood there for a moment, a slight grin on his face. _I hope this means he likes me too, because those kisses could quickly become very very addictive._

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"And you're sure it was Derek."

Sheriff Stilinski walked ahead of them as Stiles and Scott stared at each other.

"Yes."

"No!"

The sheriff looked back at them both. "You might want to start telling the truth here boys because if it was Derek, a warrant will be out for his arrest."

When Scott opened his mouth, Stiles growled at him, his glare icy hot. "It wasn't Derek. We don't know who it was, but it wasn't Derek." Stiles answered once Scott shut his mouth.

John's eyes instantly met his son's. "How do you know it wasn't Derek, if you don't know who it was Stiles."

Stiles frowned. "Look dad, it wasn't Derek. I don't want to convict an innocent man."

"What about the janitor?" Scott asked.

"We haven't found him yet." The sheriff answered tiredly.

"Did you check the bleachers? In the gym? Under them?" Stiles prompted. John nodded, waving his hand around as he spoke.

"Yes. We pulled them out just like you asked."

But there was nothing there. That part was left unsaid. "I'm not making this up." Stiles insisted. John just nodded.

"I know you're not Stiles, I believe you."

"No you don't." Stiles pushed further, he didn't even need to listen to his dad's heart to know that.

"Listen, we're going to search this whole school. We're going to find him. Okay? I promise." This time, John spoke to both of them, looking them each in the eyes for a long moment before being called away.

"I can't believe we survived." Scott breathed after John was gone. Stiles didn't say anything at first, before he shook his head.

"Scott, he's a wolf. He walked right by us in that class room. You don't think he knew exactly where we were?"

Scott looked confused. "Well then why are we still alive? He could have just killed us all."

"That's the point Scott. I don't think he wanted to kill us all."

"Then what did he want Stiles? Why did he call Allison there?"

Stiles shook his head again and sighed before he told Scott what had been in his mind since the cops showed up. "Scott. I think he wants me to do it. He wants me in his pack, but the only way he can have me, is if I get rid of my old pack."

"What do you mean, your old pack?" Scott asked.

Stiles rolled his eyes, trying not to look at Scott at all. "Lydia. Jackson. Allison…you."

Realization lit Scott's eyes before they darkened again. "The Alpha doesn't want to kill us." Scott stated.

"He wants me to do it." Stiles finished. "But that's not even the worst part! When he made me Shift Scott, I wanted to do it! I was going after you! I was going to kill you! Do you know what saved your ass?"

Scott didn't speak, only stared at Stiles until he spoke. "Derek. Derek came, and he grounded me, he kept me from ripping all of you to pieces, and you just want to sell him out like he means nothing."

"Derek's alive?" Scott's eyes widened and fear sprang in his scent and Stiles wanted to punch Scott.

"Yeah Scott. Derek's alive."

There was a moment of silence before Scott's wondering eyes caught sight of an unsuspecting person. Deaton sat on the back of an ambulance, and EMT treating the wounds that Derek had inflicted before this hellish night even began.

Stiles and Scott walked up to him and talked. Deaton seemed so normal, nothing like the Alpha.

And then Scott went to Allison.

Stiles heard it. He didn't want to, he didn't even mean to, but he heard it and he couldn't stop himself from wincing when the final words left Allison's mouth.

"Please don't call."

Guilt crept inside Stiles stomach before he even noticed it. _You're the reason the relationship started, and now you are the reason it's over. Way to go Stiles._


End file.
